CP9I7 

£/3e 


EASTERN  NORTH  CAROLINA 
ENCYCLOPEDIA 


0 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


THE  COLLECTION  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINIANA 


CP917 

E13e 

c.3 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/easternnorthcaroOOeast 


Eastern  North  Carolina 


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Where  Prosperity  is  Perennial 


INVITES    YOU  ! 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


TN  PRESENTING  to  the  reader  this  "Encyclopedia"  of  Eastern 
North  Carolina,  we  wish  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  the  infor- 
mation contained  herein  about  any  county,  is  authentic.  These  facts 
of  the  various  counties  participating,  have  been  carefully  gone  over 
by  the  Eastern  Carolina  Chamber  of  Commerce  officials  to  be  sure 
that  no  extravagant  statements  have  been  made. 

This  organization,  which  has  for  its  territory  46  counties  in 
Eastern  North  Carolina,  felt  that  a  publication  such  as  this,  where 
the  information  could  be  regarded  as  authentic,  is  necessary.  There 
are  so  many  "facts"  issued  about  different  sections  that  have  no 
substantial  backing,  the  would-be-citizen  becomes  disgusted  and  is 
inclined  not  to  believe  any  of  them.  But  you  may  be  assured  that 
you  are  dealing  with  a  reputable  organization  and  that  nothing  will 
be  misrepresented  in  these  pages.  We  invite  you  to  investigate 
the  possibilities  of  Eastern  North  Carolina,  "Where  Prosperity  is 
Perennial." 

For  further  information  about  any  part  of  Eastern  North 
Carolina,  please  write, 

EASTERN  CAROLINA  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE, 
Headquarters:  Kinston,  N.  C. 


One 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


North  Carolina   to  the   Front   Rank 


Although  this  publication  deals  primarily 
with  conditions  in  Eastern  North  Carolina,  it 
might  be  well  to  give  a  few  facts  about  the  State 
as  a  whole.  The  counties  listed  in  this  publica- 
tion have  made  it  possible  and  although  the  ter- 
ritory covered  by  this  organization  includes  46 
counties,  only  those  making  appropriations  for 
this  special  work  are  included  in  this  book. 
However,  the  Eastern  Carolina  Chamber  of 
Commerce  will  be  delighted  to  furnish  informa- 
tion about  any  of  the  counties  of  the  46. 

No  state  in  the  Union  has  made  such  rapid 
increase  industrially,  agriculturally,  and  edu- 
cationally as  North  Carolina,  during  the  recent 
years.  Her  growth  sounds  more  like  a  fairy 
tale  than  it  does  real  facts.  But  it  is  a  fact  just 
the  same.  In  1900  expenditures  for  education 
in  North  Carolina  amounted  to  less  than  a  mill- 
ion; in  1923  the  expenditures  total  $23,000,- 
000.00.  In  1900  the  expenditure  for  new  school 
buildings  was  less  than  $41,000.00;  in  1922  it 
was  more  than  $6,000,000.00.  In  1900  the 
average  value  of  each  school  house  was  $150.00 ; 
in  1922  it  was  $4,500.00.  In  1900  the  average 
length  of  public  school  term  was  73  days;  in 
1922  it  was  143  days.  In  1900  North  Carolina 
had  about  30  high  schools;  in  1923  she  had 
475.  In  1900  the  percentage  of  illiteracy  in 
North  Carolina  was  29.4;  in  1920  it  had  been 
reduced  to  13.1,  the  white  race  being  only  7.1. 


MANUFACTURING 
In  1900  the  capital  invested  in  manufactur- 
ing in  North  Carolina  was  $68,283,000.00;  in 
1920  it  was  $669,144,000.00.  In  1900  the  value 
of  manufactured  products  was  $85,274,000.00; 
in  1920,  $943,808,000.00.  In  1900  North  Caro- 
lina cotton  mills  used  190,000,000  pounds  of 
cotton;  in  1920,  449,000,000  pounds.  In  1900 
North  Carolina  produced  29,790,000  bushels 
of  corn ;  in  1920,  54,630,000  bushels. 

FINANCES 
These  figures  speak  for  themselves.  In  1900 
the  total  resources  of  the  National  Banks  of 
North  Carolina  was  $15,362,000.00;  in  1920, 
$183,816,000.00.  In  1900  the  total  deposits 
in  National  Banks  in  the  State  were  $16,700,- 
000.00;  in  1920  they  were  $315,000,000.00.  In 
1900  the  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  the 
State  was  $306,579,000.00;  in  1920  it  was  $3,- 
139,705,000.00. 

EASTERN  NORTH  CAROLINA  HAS  HER  SHARE 
Our  territory  covers  half  the  State  and  the 
enormous  figures  referred  to  above  apply  half 
to  Eastern  Carolina  and  half  to  the  other  part 
of  the  State.  No  section  of  the  State  has  made 
greater  progress  along  any  line  than  the  East- 
ern Part  of  the  State  and  we  take  great  pride 
in  submitting  figures  to  anybody  interested  in 
determining  any  of  the  above  facts  relating  to 
this  section. 


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Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


BERTIE  COUNTY 


The  home-seeker  and  investor  will  find  in  Bertie  County,  a  pleasant 
land,  a  hospitable  people,  a  productive  soil,  a  low  valuation  of  prop- 
erty, and  a  low  tax  rate;  good  schools,  convenient  churches,  and  a 
warm  welcome. 

Its  population  is  homogeneous  and  law-abiding.  The  feeling 
between  the  races  is  friendly  and  cordial.  We  have  nearly  a  half 
million  acres  of  land,  and  around  twenty-five  thousand  people.  We 
have  room  for  all  who  wish  to  better  themselves. 

The  Bankhead  National  Highway  passes  north  and  south  through 
the  county;  and  the  county  has  a  well  organized  road  system  and 
force.  The  surface  of  the  county  is  gently  rolling,  to  rolling.  Its 
highest  point  above  the  sea  level  is  97  feet.  All  of  the  lands  are 
capable  of  drainage.  A  dozen  rivers,  creeks  and  swamps  furnish 
an  outlet  for  water. 

According  to  Weather  Bureau  reports  the  mean  annual  tempera- 
ture is  60.3  F.  The  winter  mean  is  42.5,  and  the  summer  mean  is 
77.5.  The  date  of  the  last  killing  frost  in  the  spring  is  April  26th, 
and  that  of  the  earliest  in  the  fall,  October  12th.  The  average  date  of 
the  last  killing  frost  in  the  spring  is  April  1st,  and  that  of  the  first  in 
the  fall,  November  1st.  This  gives  an  average  growing  season  of 
214  days,  amply  sufficient  for  maturing  all  farm  and  garden  crops. 

There  is  an  ample  average  rainfall  of  50.93.     The  rainfall  is  well  dis- 
tributed, the  heaviest  in  the  summer  and  the  lightest  in  the  fall.     The 
^_  lands  are  wonderfully  fertile  and  adapted  to  any  crops  raised  on  the 


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Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


Atlantic  Coastal  Plain.  There  are  twenty-one  soil  types  in  the 
county  in  addition  to  the  swamps  and  pocosins.  The  main  crops 
raised  are  cotton,  peanuts,  tobacco,  corn  and  vegetables.  The  per 
acre  production  of  these  crops  is  largely  above  the  average. 

The  Roanoke  River  on  the  west,  the  Chowan  River  on  the  east, 
and  the  Cashie  River  in  the  center  furnish  cheap  water  transportation. 
Railroad  transportation  serves  the  northern  and  western  parts  of  the 
county. 

The  forests  of  the  county  have  been  cut  over,  but  the  soil  is  nat- 
urally timber  bearing  and  reforesting  is  very  rapid.  Pine,  cypress, 
ash,  maple,  oak  and  gum  are  the  predominating  commercial  woods. 

The  population  of  Bertie  County  is  agricultural  and  rural.  There 
are  a  half  dozen  localities  where  the  establishment  of  a  factory  of  any 
character  would  enlist  intelligent  labor  and  not  disturb  the  farm  work 
by  withdrawal  of  such  persons  from  the  farm.  Large  families  are  the 
rule  in  the  county. 

The  county  is  splendidly  adapted  to  the  raising  of  large  sheep,  cat- 
tle and  poultry.     The    cut-over   lands    and   the    pocosins   and  semi- 
swamps  afford  bountiful  grazing  on  grass  and  young  reeds. 

The  waters  within  the  county  and  bordering  on  it  are  full  of  both 
food  and  sport  fish.  The  herring,  shad,  perch,  and  rock  of  the  Albe- 
marle section  are  justly  famed  for  their  excellence  and  food  supply. 
Bertie  County  borders  on  the  head  of  Albemarle  Sound  and  these 
edible  fish  reach  perfection  here.  The  canning  of  fish  roe  is  an  in- 
viting field  for  profitable  investment. 


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Eastern    North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


Game  is  abundant  and  consists  of  deer,  wild  turkeys,  quail,  squir- 
rel, wild  ducks  and  other  game  birds.  Hook  and  line  fishing  is  an 
inviting  sport. 

Berries  and  nuts  grow  here  in  abundance,  especially  strawberries 
and  pecans.     English  walnuts  thrive  well. 

There  are  fine  areas  for  colonization.  The  cut-over  "piney  woods" 
section  can  be  bought  cheap  and  made  garden  spots  of  productivity. 

Ninety-three  per  cent  of  the  adult  population  are  members  of  some 
church.  Baptist,  Episcopal  and  Methodist  churches  are  in  the  towns 
and  scattered  about  the  county. 

The  county  has  a  number  of  good  country  schools  and  is  deter- 
mined to  give  its  youth  every  educational  advantage. 

Bertie  County  employs  a  whole-time  health  officer.  The  health 
of  the  people  is  generally  good,  and  the  citizenship  is  robust,  ener- 
getic and  thrifty. 

Public  roads  reach  all  sections  of  the  county,  and  the  whole  popula- 
tion is  well  served  by  rural  delivery  and  telephone. 

The  population  of  the  county  descended  from  Scotch-Irish  and 
English  ancestry.     There  is  no  foreign  population. 

The  southern  practice  of  hospitality  still  abides.  The  stranger 
within  our  gates  is  made  to  feel  at  home  by  our  whole-hearted  wel- 
come of  "howdy,  come  in." 

S.  W.  KENNEY, 

Register  of  Deeds. 


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Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


Economic  Resources  of  Duplin  County 


Duplin  County,  situated  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  has  an 
ideal  climate  for  farming.  The  population  is, 
therefore,  for  the  most  part,  rural,  and  of  the 
purest  American  stock.  This  rural  population 
is  educating  its  children  with  modern  means 
and   methods,   always   steadfastly   clinging   to 


over  11,000  acres  well  suited  to  the  production 
of  cotton.  In  1920,  an  average  of  275  pounds 
of  lint  cotton  was  produced  per  acre.  In  1920, 
there  were  52,720  acres  of  corn,  which  pro- 
duced on  an  average  of  19  bushels  an  acre.  The 
southern  end  of  the  county  is  well  suited  for 
the  growing  of  tobacco,  cotton,  corn,  and  ber- 


m 


Duplin   County  Court   House 


the  curricula  which  will  make  for  men  and 
women  trained  both  for  citizenship  and  life. 
Of  the  483,306  acres  of  land,  there  is  a  great 
portion  that  is  offered  for  development,  and  the 
new  vitality  and  knowledge  of  the  new-comer 
is  welcome. 

FARMING 
Duplin  County  contains  some  of  the  best 
farming  lands  in  the  United  States,  and  the 
second  best  in  the  South.  65,100  acres  are  cul- 
tivated by  farm  owners;  41,788  by  tenants. 
Tobacco,  cotton  and  truck  crops  are  grown  in 
greater  abundance  than  any  other.      There  are 


ries.  The  northern  end  is  suited  to  the  grow- 
ing of  cotton,  corn,  Irish  and  sweet  potatoes, 
melons,  berries,  and  cucumbers.  In  1920,  the 
bright  leaf  tobacco  produced  in  Duplin  County 
sold  for  approximately  six  and  a  half  million 
dollars. 

The  largest  shipping  point  for  tuberoses  and 
Magnolia  bulbs  in  the  world  is  at  Magnolia. 
The  largest  cucumber  market  in  the  world  is 
at  Calypso. 

There  are  304,989  acres  of  wooded  land, 
6,083  acres  improved  pasture  lands,  106,850 
acres  cultivated  lands,  and  23,267  acres  of  land 


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Eastern    North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


cleared  and  easy  to  cultivate,  BUT  AT  PRES-  power  is  considered  cheaper  than  the  use  of 

ENT  LYING  OUT  IDLE.  steam  in  manufacturing  in  this  county. 

MANUFACTURING  WEALTH 

Though  agriculture  is  the  principal  occupa-  The  census  property  valuation  of  the  county 


Cotton,    Duplin    County 

tion,  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  doors,  sash,  in  1919  was  $32,500,000;  crop  production,  $20,- 
and  fruit  and  vegetable  packages,  both  for  000,000;  per  capita  wealth,  $1,080;  per  capi- 
home  and  foreign  use,  has  assumed  consider-  ta  farm  production,  $665.  The  bank  re- 
able  proportions.  The  recent  extension  of  the  sources  are  approximately  $3,800,000.  There 
Tidewater     Power     Company's     power     lines  are  in  Duplin  County  ideal  opportunities  for 


Irish    Potatoes,    Duplin    County 

through  the  county  opens  up  new  possibilities  opening  up  new  fields  of  wealth,  namely,  the 
in  this  field.  With  this  power  in  the  cotton  manufacture  of  cotton,  cotton  seed  products, 
producing  centers,  the  manufacture  of  cotton  and  lumber.  Electric  power  is  available  in  the 
and  cotton  seed  products  will  be  an  ideal  indus-  centers  where  these  raw  materials  are  pro- 
try  for  this   section.     The  use  of  Tidewater  duced  at  reasonable  rates. 


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Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


POPULATION 

The  increase  in  population  from  1910  to 
1920  was  18.8  per  cent,  2.9  per  cent  higher  than 
the  average  rate  for  North  Carolina,  and  3.9 
per  cent  higher  than  the  average  rate  for  the 
United  States. 

The  population,  according  to  the  1920  cen- 
sus, was  30,223.  The  majority  of  inhabitants 
are  of  pure  American  stock,  whose  predeces- 


Baptist,  or  Presbyterian.  The  other  denomina- 
tions have  few  churches  in  the  county. 

The  value  of  school  property  is  approximate- 
ly one-half  million  dollars.  New  buildings  val- 
ued at  about  $110,000  will  be  completed  in 
1923.  The  expenditure  of  about  $210,000 
on  the  erection  of  new  buildings  is  being  plan- 
ned for  the  next  two  years. 

The  County  Board  of  Education  on  the  15th 


— ^ES3es 


Train    Load    of    Cucumbers    and    Strawberries    Headed    North — Duplin    County 


sors  were  Irish,   Scotch,   English,  and   Swiss, 
mainly.     There  are  no  undesirable  aliens. 

LIVING  CONDITIONS 
Living  conditions  are  good,  and  the  climate 
is  healthful.  Crowded  conditions  do  not  exist. 
The  majority  of  inhabitants  live  in  rural  com- 
munities, in  which  there  are  good  churches  and 
schools. 

CHURCHES   AND  SCHOOLS 
Each  rural  community  has  its  church,  the 
denomination   of   which   is   either    Methodist, 


of  January,  1924,  adopted  a  definite  and  com- 
prehensive county-wide  plan  of  organization  of 
schools,  which  looks  to  the  ultimate  consolida- 
tion of  all  the  schools  in  the  county  unit.  In 
each  township,  one  central  school,  modernly 
equipped,  is  planned.  This  plan  has  the  co- 
operation of  the  State  Department  of  Educa- 
tion. Many  townships  have  already  consoli- 
dated, and  others  are  working  with  that  aim. 

For  any  specific  information  about  Duplin 
County,  address — ■ 


JAS.    J.    BOWDEN,    Register   of    Deeds 
KENANSVILLE,    N.   C. 


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Eastern    North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


EDGECOMBE    COUNTY 


Lying    Near    the    Center    of    the  North  Temperate  Zone,  It   Has  an  Ideal 
Climate    and    Assures    Four    Distinct    Seasons 


Settled  in  1719. 

Created  in  1741  as  a  county. 

515  square  miles. 

306,756  acres. 

Population,  37,995—1920  census. 

Taxable  wealth,  1923— 

Real   property $23,256,618.00 

Personal   property 6,562,192.00 

Other  property 3,703,333.00 

Total $33,522,143.00 

Natural  Waters — 
Tar  River 
Fishing  Creek 
Toon  Creek 
Deep  Creek 
Swift  Creek 

Railroads — 

Atlantic  Coast  Line  Railroad 
East  Carolina  Railway 

Public  Roads — 

22  miles  hard  surface  (7  now  under  con- 
struction) . 

34  miles  sand  and  clay  State  Highway. 

100  miles  sand  and  clay  and  gravel. 

675  miles  dirt. 

831 

One  hundred  seventy-three  concrete  and 
(or)  steel  bridges. 

Public  Schools — 

2  chartered  schools. 
8  consolidated  schools. 
55  district  schools. 

65  Total  schools. 


Churches  and  S.  S. 

Episcopal 

Presbyterian 

Baptist 

Methodist 

Old  Side  Baptist 

Roman  Catholic 

Christian 

Lutheran 

Incorporated  Towns 

Tarboro 

Rocky  Mount  (half  in  Edgecombe) 

Whitakers  (half  in  Edgecombe) 

Battleboro  (half  in  Edgecombe) 

Sharpsburg  (half  in  Edgecombe) 

Macclesfield 

Pinetops 

Conetoe 

Speed 

COUNTY  OFFICERS 
Commissioners 

J.  V.  Cobb,  Chairman       W.  H.  Home 
H.  G.  Brown  E.  Y.  Lovelace 

D.  B.  Gaskill 

Board  of  Education 

M.  G.  Mann,  Chairman      H.  L.  Brake 
Dr.  R.  H.  Speight 

Road  Commission 

B.  F.  Shelton,  Chairman  T.  A.  Wiggins 
H.  P.  Foxhall  Arthur  Fountain 

J.  A.  Forbes 


State  Senator 
Representative 
Clerk  of  Court 
Register  of  Deeds 
Sheriff 

Supt.  Public  Instruction 
County  Auditor 
Farm  Dem.  Agent 
Public  Health  Officer 
Welfare  Officer 
Home  Dem.  Agent 
Red  Cross  Nurse 


Paul  Jones 
R.  T.  Fountain 
A.  T.  Walston 
Miss  M.  B.  Bunn 
J.  W.  Thomas 
R.  E.  Sentelle 
J.  A.  Weddell 
Zeno  Moore 
Dr.  R.  C.  Gyles 
Mrs.  Ann  H.  Ditto 
Miss  Dorothy  Dean 
Miss  Ella  Mae  Fryar 


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Eastern    North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


Shipping  by   Water  Not  Unusual   in  Edgecombe 

INDUSTRIAL 
Edgecombe  County,  while  principally  and  po- 
tentially an  agricultural  county,  has  made  great 
progress  along  industrial  lines,  and  its  manu- 
facturing industries  form  a  considerable  part 
of  its  gross  wealth. 

Being  one  of  the  largest  producers  of  both 
cotton  and  tobacco,  local  capital  has  naturally 
been  attracted  to  the  erection  and  operation  of 
tobacco  sales  and  storage  warehouses,  located 
in  the  principal  towns  of  the  county,  and  every 
town  in  the  county  has  its  local  cotton  market, 
with  facilities  for  storing  large  quantities  of 
cotton  in  standard  warehouses.  There  are  also 
organizations  for  the  handling  and  storage  of 
peanuts  and  sweet  potatoes. 

Edgecombe  is  the  home  and  headquarters 
for  the  East  Carolina  Railway  and  the  Caro- 
lina Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company;  has 
cotton,  yarn  and  hosiery  mills,  fertilizer  fac- 
tories, cotton  seed  oil  mills,  lumber  manufac- 
turing plants,  veneer  plants,  all  of  which  add 
greatly  to  the  material  wealth  of  the  county, 
and  furnish  steady  work  and  income  for  its 
citizens. 

The  banks,  building  and  loan  associations, 
and  wholesale  and  retail  mercantile  establish- 
ments are  organized  and  operated,  not  only  on 
a  profitable  business  basis,  but  also  with  the 


view  of  supplying  every  need  to  the  citizens  of 
the  county  from  home  institutions. 

Not  only  are  the  local  markets  easily  accessi- 
ble, but  being  on  the  main  line  of  the  railroad, 
foreign  markets  can  be  reached  without  delay. 

Edgecombe  County  welcomes  home  builders 
and  home  workers  within  her  borders.  She 
does  not  invite  speculators  or  promoters. 

AGRICULTURE 

When  North  America  was  first  settled,  Edge- 
combe County  was  chosen  by  a  fine  class  of 
citizenship  for  their  homes,  and  to-day  a 
large  number  of  the  population  are  descend- 
ants of  those  first  settlers  and  home  builders. 
Edgecombe  County  is  sufficiently  inland,  and 
has  sufficient  altitude  to  make  agriculture 
home  building  and  community  life  very  invit- 
ing. 

Edgecombe  is  strictly  a  Coastal  Plain  county, 
although  its  boundaries  extend  to  the  foot  of 
the  Hill  Country.  Our  fields  are  level,  we  have 
no  rocks  or  heavy  clay  soils,  and  the  streams 
that  rise  in  the  hills  flow  through  the  county, 
following  the  general  incline  of  the  surface, 
northwest  to  southeast,  and  have  worn  them- 
selves deep  streams  beds,  thus  giving  an  ex- 
cellent natural  drainage,  and  reducing  over- 
flow lands  to  a  minimum.  The  rainfall  is  per- 
haps as  nearly  ideal  as  in  any  land  upon  which 


Dairying    A    Specialty    in     Edgecombe 


Ten 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


the  sun  shines;  the  annual  average  being  53 
inches,  well  distributed  throughout  the  year. 

The  dominating  soils  are  of  the  Norfolk  fine 
sandy  loam  type,  than  which  there  is  none 
better  anywhere.  It  has  been  established  by 
experiments  and  experience  that  a  greater 
number  of  leguminous  plants  thrive  in  Edge- 
combe County  than  in  any  other  area  of  like 
size  in  the  United  States.     The  number  of  field 


crops  that  can  be  successfully  grown,  including 
vegetables,  grapes  and  nuts,  is  almost  only  lim- 
ited by  the  known  varieties.  The  farmers  have 
organized  a  seed  breedings  association,  which 
insures  the  highest  type  of  seed,  and  those  best 
suited  to  the  soil  and  climate.  Live  stock,  prin- 
cipally hogs,  cattle  and  sheep  are  easily  and  suc- 
cessfully raised  and  marketed. 


Come  and  Look  Us  Over! 


Secretary 


Chamber  of  Commerce 


Tarboro,  N.  C. 


Eleven 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


Pecans    in    North    Carolina 

By  W.  M.  ROPER,  Petersburg,  Va. 


The  pecan  is  the  oldest  food  crop  in  the 
South.  Before  Raleigh,  DeSoto,  Columbus,  the 
pecan  was  gathered  and  eaten  by  the  first 
Americans.  Prevailing  necessity  now  calls  for 
a  basic  change  in  our  food  regime,  a  change 
from  animal  to  vegetable,  the  primal  factor 
of  which  will  be  nuts.  "To  nuts,  then,  must 
we  look  for  the  future  sustenance  of  the  race", 
says  a  national  dietetic  expert.  "The  nut 
growers  of  the  future  will  be  the  aristocrats 
of  the  agricultural  world.  Half  a  century  hence 
the  nut  crop  will  far  exceed  in  volume  and  in 
value  our  present  animal  industry". 

In  line  with  this  existing  and  increasing  de- 
mand for  nuts,  together  with  the  peculiar 
adaptability  of  this  section  for  the  culture  of 
pecans,  the  choicest  of  all  nuts,  is  the  campaign 
just  begun  by  the  agricultural  forces  of  the 
State  having  for  its  object  the  planting  of  a 
million  pecan  trees  in  Eastern  North  Carolina 
in  the  next  four  years. 

The  campaign  is  fostered  by  the  Department 
of  Agriculture  and  the  Extension  Division  of 
the  North 
Carolina 
State  College 
o  f  Agricul- 
ture, co-oper- 
ating with  the 
extension 
workers  and 
the  county 
farm  agents. 
C.  D.  Mat- 
thews, State 
Horticultur- 
ist, and  H.  M.  Curran,  Farm  Forester,  with  the 
assistance  of  W.  N.  Roper  of  Petersburg,  Vir- 
ginia, an  experienced  pecan  grower,  familiar 
with  all  phases  of  pecan  culture,  will  have  di- 
rect supervision  over  the  campaign. 

It  is  planned  to  have  twenty-five  men  in  each 
county  plant  100  pecan  trees  each  year  for  four 
years,  and  to  have  every  farmer  plant  a  dozen 
or  more  trees  around  his  home  and  farm  lot. 
Mr.  Roper  will  give  advice  as  to  soils,  locations 
and  planting;  how  the  trees  may  be  secured 
and  the  prices  that  should  be  paid  for  them. 
Arrangements  have  been  made  to  secure  for 
planters  the  very  best  trees  of  right  varieties, 
propagated  by  methods  best  suited  to  North 
Carolina  and  at  prices  much  lower  than  those 
often  paid  for  indifferent  trees.  Since  the  two 
most  important  steps  in  successful  pecan  cul- 
ture are  selection  of  varieties  and  of  locations 
in  which  to  plant  them,  these  matters  will  re- 
ceive particular  attention  during  the  campaign. 
A  specialist  from  the  department,  working  with 
the  county  agents,  will  assist  growers  in  the 


after-care  and  the  culture  of  the  trees.  Stuart, 
Schley,  Success  and  Alley  will  be  recommended, 
the  choice  of  these  depending  on  the  character 
of  the  soil  and  the  exact  location  in  which  they 
are  to  be  planted.  These  have  been  tested  and 
their  worth  proved  in  the  State. 

There  are  seedling  pecan  trees  in  Eastern 
Carolina  which,  at  30  years  of  age,  have  a 
trunk  diameter  of  two  and  a  half  feet  with 
a  height  of  65  feet,  and  produce  crops  that  sell 
for  $150.00  or  more  in  a  single  season.  Older 
and  larger  trees  produce  from  400  to  700 
pounds  annually.  There  are  young  budded 
trees  bearing  record  crops.  A  Stuart  tree  in 
Craven  County,  7  years  old,  bore  30  pounds; 
a  tree  in  Scotland  County,  8  years  old,  bore  50 
pounds,  another  in  Wake  County,  at  Raleigh, 
10  years  old,  bore  a  bushel  of  pecans  this  sea- 
son, and  a  list  of  like  trees  might  be  carried 
into  the  hundreds.  Young  groves  of  budded 
trees  ranging  from  200  to  1700  trees  are  now 
in  profitable  commercial  bearing  in  the  State. 
Trees  of  right  varieties  under  proper  conditions 

begin  to  yield 
profitable 
commercial 
returns  at  8 
to  10  years 
and  planters 
may  expect 
an  average  of 
40  pounds  per 
tree  when 
they  are  12 
to  15  years 
old.  Ten  years 
is  not  long  to  wait  when  you  have  the  land  for 
other  farm  purposes  and  increase  its  value  five 
to  ten  fold  during  the  time.  A  pecan  grove  the 
first  year  it  is  planted,  adds  from  $50  to  $100  in 
value  to  each  acre  of  land  and  continues  this 
rate  of  increase  annually  for  several  years. 

Ten  to  20  acres  of  pecans  planted  now,  would, 
within  10  or  15  years  support  an  average  fam- 
ily. The  land  meantime  will  not  have  to  be  with- 
drawn from  farm  use.  The  culture  and  care  giv- 
en other  crops  planted  on  it  will  be  ideal  for  the 
pecans  if  fertilizer  is  used  and  leguminous  crops 
for  fallow  are  planted  in  proper  rotation.  Trees 
planted  the  usual  distance  of  50  to  60  feet  apart 
each  way,  17  or  12  trees  to  the  acre,  interfere 
very  little  with  field  work  when  they  are 
young. 

It  is  not  believed  that  the  demand  for  pecans 
will  be  met  in  a  century.  Americans  are  fast  be- 
coming a  race  of  nut  eaters.  In  1920  the  nut  im- 
portations amounted  to  $58,752,801  as  against 
$3,484,651  in  1900.  These  were  consumed  in 
addition  to  the  nuts  grown  in  America. 


Pecan    Grove    in    Eastern    North    Carolina 


Twelve 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


The  Secretary  of  the  National  Pecan  Grow- 
ers' Association  estimates  that  not  10  per  cent 
of  our  population  has  ever  tasted  a  paper  shell 
pecan,  and  that  of  the  really  fine  nuts  not 
enough  have  ever  been  produced  in  a  single 
year  to  furnish  one  nut  apiece  to  the  popula- 
tion of  America. 

Pecan  trees  are  long  lived  and  reach  tremend- 
ous size;  are  wind  firm  and  continue  to  bear 
crops  for  an  indefinite  period.  While  in  com- 
m  o  n     with 


trees  of  all 
kinds  they 
have  their 
pests  of  in- 
sects and  dis- 
eases they  are 
entirely  free 
from  the  scale 
pests  and 
from  insects 
and  diseases 
that  do  so  much  injury  to  the  various  fruit 
trees.  They  have  been  growing  in  America 
for  many  centuries  and  thus  far  have  not  been 
affected  by  any  serious  enemy.  Texas  reports 
what  is  said  to  be  the  largest  pecan  tree, 
reputed  to  be  over  800  years  old.     Its  largest 


measured  crop  was  1400  pounds  or  35  bushels 
of  nuts. 

Pecans  are  produced  commercially  only  in  the 
Southern  States  of  America.  When  there  are 
enough  to  "go  round"  the  whole  world  will  be 
a  market  for  the  surplus.  The  South  has  a 
greater  monopoly  of  the  pecan  than  of  cotton. 
North  Carolina  with  its  strong,  rich  soils 
in  combination  with  an  ideal  climate  that  pro- 
duces pecans  to  perfection,  offers  unusual  op- 
portunities 
for  pecan 
culture.  With 
a  million  pe- 
can  trees 
planted  in  the 
State,  and  a 
Pecan  Grow- 
ers' Associa- 
tion to  mar- 
ket the  pro- 
duct, Caro- 
lina will  take  first  place  in  the  South  in  the  pro- 
duction of  pecans,  and  the  neat  homes,  so  char- 
acteristic of  the  orange  groves  of  Florida,  and 
of  the  fruit  farms  of  the  far  west,  will  dot 
the  roadsides  and  give  evidence  of  its  thrift 
and  prosperity. 


Pecans — A    Good    Investment 


Thirteen 


Eastern    North     Carolina    Encyclopedia 


GREENE    COUNTY 


The  county  of  Greene,  so  named  in  honor  of 
Gen.  Nathaniel  Greene,  of  Revolutionary  fame, 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Edgecombe  and 
Pitt  Counties,  on  the  east  by  Pitt  and  Lenoir 
Counties,  on  the  south  by  Wayne  County  and 
on  the  west  by  Wilson  County.  It  is  drained 
by  the  Contentnea  River  and  its  tributaries, 
the  Contentnea  River  crossing  the  county 
through  the  middle.  It  is  a  typical  county  of 
the  once  long-leaf  pine  section.  The  soils  are 
characteristically  gray  sandy  loams,  with  yel- 
low to  brown  subsoil,  and  belong  to  the  region 
of  level  piney  uplands.  Along  the  borders  of 
the  various  streams  are  frequent  and  extensive 
tracts  of  alluvial  lands,  and  on  some  of  them, 
particularly  the  Contentnea  River,  occur  cy- 
press and  gum  swamps  of  considerable  area. 

The  soil  of  the  county  has  every  variety, 
from  the  black  peaty  soil  to  the  stiff  clay.  The 
predominating  soil  is  a  light  friable  loam,  be- 
ing about  four  inches  in  depth  and  shading  off 
in  most  places  to  a  subsoil  of  yellow  sand. 
When  first  cleared  it  is  in  many  places  of  a 
darkish  color,  wearing  white  by  use  when  not 
well  manured  and  properly  cultivated.  This 
soil  is  easy  to  till  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 


Snow    Hill    School,     Greene     County 

The  variety,  excellence  and  abundance  of  the 
products  grown  indicate  alike  the  character 
of  the  soil  and  the  intelligence  and  industry 
of  the  farmers.     Those  who  at  an  early  period 


Hard-Surfaced    Road,    Snow    Hill,    Greene    County 

assisted  or  directed  nature  in  the  use  of  her 
forces,  and  by  the  skilful  application  of  fertili- 
zers, and  by  the  careful  husbanding  and  the 
skilful  manipulation  of  all  domestic  stores  of 
fertility,  made  Greene  County  conspicuous  as 
one  of  the  best  agricultural  counties  of  the 
East.  Tobacco,  corn  and  cotton  constitute  the 
most  valuable  field  crops,  but  almost  any  crop 
grown  in  the  State  may  be  grown  within  its 
borders,  such  as  wheat,  oats,  rice,  potatoes, 
peas,  and  many  other  crops  are  grown  success- 
fully. In  some  sections  of  the  county  marl  is 
found  in  abundance,  and  is  used  to  fertilize  the 
lands,  making  the  growth  of  the  above  crops 
an  easy  and  profitable  occupation. 

For  poultry  and  live  stock  this  is  an  ideal 
county  on  account  of  the  natural  pastures,  pas- 
ture crops  and  leguminous  plants,  such  as  vel- 
vet beans  and  soy  beans.  It  is  good  for  the 
growing  of  feed  stuffs  and  is  close  to  good  live 
stock  markets.  For  trucking,  Greene  County 
has  the  Norfolk  fine  sandy  loam  soil  that  is 
fertile  and  well  drained.  The  soil  is  particularly 
adapted  to  the  cultivating  of  blackberries,  cab- 
bage, lettuce,  asparagus,  carrots  and  melons, 
and  is  close  to  good  trucking  markets. 

Much  of  the  land  of  Greene  County  is  partic- 
ularly adapted  to  the  growth  of  bright  tobacco 
of  a  very  fine  texture,  much  sought  for  by  the 
manufacturers  of  cigarettes.     Fabulous  prices 


Fourteen 


Eastern    North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


have  been  paid  for  tobacco  grown  in  this  coun- 
ty, the  growers  realizing  in  many  instances 
from  $500  to  as  high  as  $1400  per  acre  for  the 
tobacco  grown.     This  is  perhaps  the  most  val- 


kTSVSS&i 


Shine    Township    School,    Greene    County 

uable  crop  of  the  county,  its  total  reaching 
more  than  20,000,000  pounds  in  recent  years. 
There  are  large  areas  in  the  county  devoted  to 
the  growth  of  cotton,  the  second  most  valuable 
crop  grown,  the  total  bales  grown  being  from 
10,000  to  15,000  per  annum.  It  is  also  a  pro- 
ductive corn  region,  as  may  well  be  understood 
from  the  character  of  its  best  lands  reclaimed 
from  swamps. 

In  recent  years  the  county  has  given  much 
attention  to  the  improvement  of  its  roads  and 
improvement  of  its  school  system.  A  network 
of  sand-clay  roads  connects  every  section  with 
Snow  Hill,  the  county  seat,  which  is' connected 
with  Kinston  and  the  Central  High/way  by  an 
asphalt  road,  while  other  roads  of  the  same 
kind  connecting  the  county  on  the  north,  west 
and  south  are  already  planned,  and  will. in  the 
near  future  be  built.     Two  railroads  traverse 


Hookerton     School,     Greene     County 

the  county,  the  Norfolk-Southern  across  the 
northern  end,  Walstonburg  being  the  principal 
station  on  this  road,  and  The  Kinston-Carolina 
Railroad,  a  subsidiary  of  the  Norfolk-Southern', 


enters  the  county  from  the  east,  giving  access 
to  the  markets  of  the  East  to  the  county. 

Snow  Hill,  the  county  seat  (so  named  from 
the  abundance  of  beautiful  white  sand  to  be 
seen  in  this  vicinity),  is  a  town  of  near  1,000 
population,  wide-awake  and  progressive  as  may 
be  seen  by  its  improved  streets  and  sidewalks. 
The  streets  are  of  the  well  known  concrete  as- 
phalt type,  while  the  sidewalks  are  of  concrete. 
The  town  has  installed  a  modern  water  and 
sewer  system,  its  water  being  pronounced  by 
competent  chemists  as  of  the  very  best,  same 
being  obtained  from  wells  200  feet  deep.  It 
possess  two  banks,  a  large  number  of  busi- 
ness houses,  a  newspaper,  four  white  churches 
and  one  of  the  best  schools  in  the  East. 

The  county  contains  242  square  miles  and 
contains  at  present  a  population  a  little  in  ex- 


Paved    Street,    Snow    Hill 


cess  of  16,000,  almost  equally  divided  between 
the  two  races.  Its  property  valuation  for  tax- 
ation purposes  has  grown  from  $2,000,000  in 
1900  to  over  $20,000,000  in  1924,  and  the  tax 
total  from  less  than  $15,000  in  1900  to  over 
$500,000  in  1924. 

The  educational  growth  in  Greene  County  for 
the  last  few  years  has  been  shown  by  the  com- 
munity spirit  prevalent,  by  the  number  of  spe- 
cial tax  districts,  and  by  the  interest  manifested 
in  the  improvement  and  growth  of  the  schools. 
The  schools  have  been  making  progress  in  pro- 
portion to  the  schools  in  other  counties  of  East- 
ern North  Carolina.  As  a  whole  the  people 
have  a  generous  spirit  toward  education  and 
are  waking  up  as  never  before  for  better  consol- 
idated schools.  In  1921  Greene  County  con- 
structed  its-  first   modern   school   building   at 


Fifteen 


Eastern    North     Carolina    Encyclopedia 


Snow  Hill,  costing  $90,000.  This  building  is 
modern  in  every  respect,  and  has  a  large  li- 
brary and  well  equipped  laboratory  for  the 
teaching  of  science.     It  is  on  the  accredited 


Prosperity,    Greene   County 

list  of  high  schools  and  has  a  high  school  en- 
rollment of  140  pupils.  All  work  is  standard- 
ized and  it  draws  high  school  pupils  from  many 
districts  in  the  county.  All  teachers  are  col- 
lege trained. 

During  the  school  year  of  1922-23  three  more 
modern  schools  were  built.  A  well  equipped 
brick  building  at  Hookerton  with  12  classrooms 
and  basement,  a  beautiful  auditorium  with  seat- 
ing capacity  of  over  500,  costing  $70,000.  An- 
other modern  structure  with  all  conveniences 
was  erected  at  Walstonburg  with  12  class 
rooms  and  an  auditorium  of  over  500  capacity, 
costing  $50,000.  This  is  a  consolidated  school 
of  five  rural  schools.  Also  another  five-room 
brick  school  was  erected  in  Shine  consolidated 
district.  This  is  a  modern  rural  school  costing 
$10,000.  All  of  these  schools  are  up-to-date 
and  are  monuments  to  the  communities  in 
which  they  are  erected. 

The  class  of  teachers  in  the  schools  is  con- 
stantly improved  upon,  till  this  year  for  the 
first  time  all  white  teachers  hold  State  Certifi- 
cates. Only  a  few  County  Second  Grade  Cer- 
tificates are  issued  to  colored  teachers.  All 
teachers  in  larger  schools  are  well  trained  and 
experienced. 

There  are  now  27  white  and  19  colored 
schools  in  the  county.     The  number  of  white 


schools  is  decreasing  every  year  through  con- 
solidation. There  are  three  central  high  schools, 
Snow  Hill,  Hookerton  and  Walstonburg,  located 
so  that  they  are  in  easy  reach  of  every  high 
school  boy  and  girl  in  the  county.  Practically 
all  are  2  to  13  teacher  schools. 

In  1921-22  the  cost  of  instruction  per  pupil 
in  Greene  County  as  compiled  by  the  State 
Department  of  Education  is  below  the  average 
in  Eastern  North  Carolina  and  much  below  the 
average  of  her  adjoining  counties.  The  school 
advantages  in  Greene  County  now  compare 
very  favorably  with  that  of  the  Eastern  Caro- 
lina counties  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of 
money  spent  on  public  education. 

Ten  or  more  Parent-Teacher-Associations 
have  been  organized  in  the  last  two  years 
among  the  small  rural  schools  and  they  are 
active  and  are  doing  untold  good  in  the  com- 
munities in  which  they  are  organized.  This 
shows  the  growth  of  the  community  spirit. 

Under  the  proposed  plan  of  county-wide  con- 
solidation Greene  County  will  have  three  cen- 
tral standard  high  schools  and  six  standard 
elementary  schools.  When  this  scheme  is  put 
into  operation  every  boy  and  girl  in  the  county 


Black    Poland    Chinas,   Greene    County 

will  have  the  advantage  of  a  standard  element- 
ary and  high  school  education.  The  spirit  of 
education  is  growing  and  there  are  no  impas- 
sable natural  barriers  in  Greene  County  to  in- 
terfere in  making  an  ideal  school  system  with 
minimum  cost  to  the  people. 


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Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


HALIFAX    COUNTY'S    CALL 


Through    Force    of    Facts,    Facilities,    Advantages 

and     Accomplishments 


From  its  low  lying  bottom  lands  along  the  furnishes  electric   power  to  drive  the  wheels 

banks  of  the  Roanoke  to  the  hills  and  high-  of  industry  in  that  bustling  little  city  of  Roa- 

lands  of  the  northern  portion,  Halifax  County  noke  Rapids-Rosemary,  where  are  located  the 

abounds    in    opportunities    awaiting    develop-  largest  damask  mills  in  the  world,  and  other 

ment.  mills  that  turn  out  the  finished  product  pro- 


One    Larue    Mill,    Halifax    County 


RICH  IN  HISTORICAL  INTEREST 

Though  rich  in  historical  interest,  being  the 
proud  possessor  of  the  site  of  the  first  state 
capital,  where  the  first  state  constitution  was 
written,  and  from  the  days  of  the  Revolution 
until  the  time  of  the  Reconstruction  following 
the  War  Between  the  States,  dotted  with  the 
homes  and  broad  acres  of  the  aristocracy  of 
the  old  South,  it  has  imbibed  and  grasped  the 
spirit  of  modern  progress  until  today  it  ranks 
among  the  first  counties  in  the  State  in  mater- 
ial wealth,  school  facilities,  and  good  roads. 

WATERPOWER 

Traversed  along  its  northern  border  by  the 
waters  of  the  mighty  and  noble  Roanoke,  an 
abundance  of  waterpower  is  available,  which, 
while  it  has  been  developed  to  some  extent  and 


duced  from  the  cotton  grown  within  sight  of 
its  looms,  yet  offers  an  opportunity  for  enor- 
mous future  development. 

NO  LARGE  CITIES 

Halifax  County  boasts  of  no  large  city,  but 
in  Littleton,  Roanoke  Rapids-Rosemary,  Wel- 
don,  Halifax,  Enfield,  Hobgood  and  Scotland 
Neck  it  has  progressive  trading  centers  which 
provide  every  modern  facility  for  marketing 
the  products  of  the  splendid  farms  which 
abound  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  county.  Each  of  these  towns,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  two,  provide  employment  for  large 
numbers  in  their  knitting  mills  and  other  mills 
manufacturing  cotton  products. 

TRANSPORTATION  FACILITIES 
Adequate  transportation  facilities  are  pro- 


Seventeen 


Eastern     North     Carotin  a     Encyclopedia 


vided  by  trunk  lines  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line 
and  the  Seaboard  Air  Line  Railroads. 

GEOGRAPHY 

Halifax  County  is  situated  partly  in  the 
Coastal  Plain  and  partly  in  the  Piedmont  Pla- 
teau. It  has  an  area  of  676  square  miles  or 
432,640  acres.  In  the  vicinity  of  Weldon,  Lit- 
tleton, and  Roanoke  Rapids  the  country  is  roll- 
ing to  hilly,  while  in  the  south  end  of  the  coun- 
ty around  Scotland  Neck  and  Hobgood  the 
country  is  less  rolling  to  flat  with  gentle  slopes 
toward  the  bottom  lands.  The  general  slope  of 
the  county  is  toward  the  southeast.    According 


FARMING 

Diversified  farming  is  the  chief  occupation 
of  the  majority  of  its  more  than  40,000  inhabi- 
tants. Tobacco,  cotton,  peanuts,  corn,  soy 
beans  and  sweet  potatoes  comprise  the  princi- 
pal growing  crops,  with  yields  per  acre  which 
are  surpassed  by  no  section  of  the  South,  while 
hogs,  sheep,  cattle,  and  poultry  are  prominent 
in  the  live  stock  activities  of  the  farms.  Hali- 
fax County  has  the  highest  average  acreage 
yield  of  lint  cotton  in  the  South.  Two  agricul- 
tural agents  are  employed  by  the  county  to  look 
after  its  diversified  agricultural  program. 


Poultry    Raising,    Halifax    County 


to  the  records  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line  Rail- 
road, Hobgood  is  88  feet  above  sea  level,  Scot- 
land Neck  96  feet,  Halifax  101  feet,  and  Enfield 
99  feet.  Points  in  the  western  part  of  the 
county  reach  an  elevation  of  400  feet. 

SOILS    AND    SEASONS 

The  climate  and  soils  of  Halifax  County  are 
well  suited  to  a  wide  range  of  general  farm 
products.  The  winters  are  short  and  compara- 
tively mild ;  the  summers  long  but  not  exces- 
sively hot.  The  mean  annual  rainfall  is  47.22 
inches  and  the  mean  annual  temperature  is  59.8 
degrees  F.  There  is  a  normal  growing  season 
of  195  days  which  is  sufficiently  long  for  all 
ordinary  crops.  Based  on  such  facts  as  the 
above,  it  is  only  natural  that  Halifax  County 
should  be  one  of  the  best  agricultural  counties 
in  North  Carolina. 


SHEEP  AND  POULTRY 


During  the  past  year  sheep  and  poultry  rais- 
ing has  become  quite  an  industry;  scores  of 
farmers  throughout  the  country  having  become 
successfully  interested  in  this  branch  of  indus- 
try, which  is  a  part  of  the  program  which  is 
being  pushed  to  meet  the  situation  which  will 
be  brought  about  by  the  advent  of  the  boll 
weevil.  The  progress  in  these  two  industries 
has  surpassed  even  the  fondest  hopes  of  the 
originators,  and  they  bid  fair  to  become  a  large 
economic  factor  in  the  county  in  the  next  few 
years. 

HALIFAX     COUNTY     ANTICIPATES     BOLL     WEEVIL 

As  an  evidence  of  the  progressive  spirit 
which  animates  the  citizens  of  this  section, 
Halifax  County  is  the  first  one  in  the  South 
which  has  begun  the     fight  against  the  boll 


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Eastern    North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


weevil  well  in  advance  of  its  advent.  Other  sec- 
tions have  waited  until  they  have  become  dev- 
astated and  bankrupt  before  beginning  to 
fight.  Not  so  with  Halifax.  Two  years  before 
the  pest  was  due  it  began  its  fight  for  a  diversi- 
fied system  of  agriculture,  and  a  "live-at-home" 
program,  and  now  in  the  face  of  immediate  en- 
try of  the  event  which  has  tried  the  souls  of 
other  sections,  it  is  ready  for  the  fight  and  will 
win  because  it  is  prepared. 

SCHOOLS 

Halifax  County  is  justly  proud  of  its  schools, 
as  much  as  a  half  million  dollars  being  invested 
in  one  high  school  building  alone.  But  it  is  not 
so  much  in  the  schools  which  are  provided  in 
the  progressive  towns  of  the  county  that  it 
takes  pride,  but  in  the  consolidated  schools 
which  dot  the  county  from  end  to  end.  The  old 
one-teacher  crossroads  school  has  given  way  to 


White    Leghorns,    Halifax    County 

eight  handsome  district  schools  where  the  chil- 
dren are  assembled  daily  by  means  of  motor 
trucks  over  excellent  roads. 

The  property  valuation  of  the  rural  schools 
of  the  county  is  placed  at  about  $175,000.00, 
providing  modern  school  buildings  and  facili- 
ties to  meet  the  needs  and  requirements  of 
around  2,200  pupils. 

ROADS 

Education  and  good  roads  go  hand  in  hand. 
Long  before  the  State  as  a  whole  inaugurated 
its  comprehensive  program  of  road  building, 
Halifax  County  had  issued  serial  bonds  and 
built  its  own  roads  and  today,  in  addition  to  the 
road  mileage  which  has  been  taken  over  by  the 
State  and  maintained  by  them,  the  county  has 
its  own  road  building  organization  headed  by 
an  experienced  civil  engineer  and  road  build- 


Consolidated    School,    Halifax    County 

er,  and  its  collateral  and  county  roads,  which 
connect  with  the  State  highway  system,  are  a 
credit  to  any  section. 

BANKS 

An  indication  of  the  progress  which  the 
county  of  Halifax  has  made  in  a  material  way 
it  may  be  stated  that  twenty-five  years  ago 
there  were  three  banks  in  the  county  with  total 
resources  of  $145,185.10,  while  today  there  are 
fourteen  banks  with  resources  of  $7,111,729.99. 

INVITATION   AND   WELCOME 

In  the  light  of  the  above  facts,  facilities,  ad- 
vantages, and  accomplishments  Halifax  County 
extends  an  invitation  to  any  who  may  be  seek- 
ing opportunity  in  a  land  greatly  favored  by 
a  benign  Providence. 

WRITE 

REGISTER  OF  DEEDS 

HALIFAX,   N.   C. 


Leisurely   Grazing — Halifax   County   Profits   are   Sure 


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Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


JOHNSTON    COUNTY 


GEOGRAPHY 

Johnston  County  is  situated  on  the  western 
edge  of  the  Coastal  Plain  area.  It  has  an  area 
of  approximately  778  square  miles,  or  516,480 
acres.  The  northwest  side  of  the  county  is 
about  15  miles  east  of  Raleigh.  It  is  bounded 
on  the  northeast  and  east  by  Nash,  Wilson  and 
Wayne  Counties,  on  the  south  by  Wayne  and 
Sampson  Counties,  on  the  west  and  southwest 
by  Harnett  and  Sampson  Counties,  and  on  the 
north  and  northwest  by  Wake  County.     The 


throughout  the  county.  There  is  a  total  of  28 
types  of  soils,  including  meadow  and  swamp. 
The  most  prominent  of  these  is  the  Norfolk 
sandy  loam.  This  soil  is  well  adapted  to  truck 
crops,  cotton,  corn  and  tobacco,  all  of  which 
have  very  good  yields.  Other  prevalent  soils 
are  the  Cecil  soils,  of  which  the  coarse  sandy 
loam,  sandy  loam,  fine  sandy  loam,  stony  sandy 
loam,  and  clay  loam,  are  well  suited  for  the 
production  of  oats,  wheat,  corn,  clover,  cowpeas 
and  to  some  extent,  tobacco  and  cotton.     Land 


r~*-*»m-«jwM~ &■ 


m§Mmm  ■ 

_JP  H  .  BSE 


JOHNSTON    COUNTY    COURT    HOUSE,    SMITHFIELD,    N.    C. 
This    Court    House    is    second    only    to    the    best    in    the    State.       It    is    not    only 
beautiful   and   of    splendid   design,   but    is   a   boost    and   a   great    credit    to    our    city. 


surface  features  consist  of  high,  rolling  up- 
lands and  broad,  gently  undulating  interstream 
areas  in  the  wide,  level  stretches.  There  is  a 
gentle  but  fairly  well  defined  slope  throughout 
the  Coastal  Plain  Section  of  the  county.  Eleva- 
tions vary  from  350  feet  through  the  central 
part  of  the  county  to  about  80  feet  on  the 
southeast  corner,  where  the  Neuse  River  leaves 
the  area. 

SOILS  AND  SEASONS 

The  soils  in  Johnston  County  may  be  classed 
in  three  groups,  according  to  their  origin :  The 
sedimentary  soils  of  the  Coastal  Plain ;  the 
residual  soils  of  the  Piedmont  Plateau,  and  the 
alluvial     soil's    developed   along    the    streams 


values  in  the  county  vary  from  $20  to  $200 
and  more  an  acre. 

The  climate  of  the  county  is  well  suited  for 
a  wide  range  of  products.  Truck  and  stock 
farming  are  growing  rapidly  in  extent.  The 
winters  are  short  and  comparatively  mild,  the 
mean  winter  temperature  being  42  degrees.  The 
summers  are  long  and  not  excessively  hot.  The 
mean  summer  temperature  is  77  degrees  F.  The 
average  rainfall  is  about  50  inches  and  is  well 
distributed  throughout  the  year.  Crops  seldom 
suffer  from  drought,  and  the  growing  season 
is  about  200  days,  long  enough  for  all  ordinary 
crops. 

With  such  seasons,  it  is  not  surprising  that 


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Eastern    North     Carolina    Encyclopedia 


agriculture  is  the  principal  industry  of  the 
people.  The  principal  crops  are  cotton,  corn 
and  tobacco  as  leaders,  with  sweet  potatoes, 
peas,  forage  and  grain  as  secondary  crops. 

Johnston  ranks  first  in  the  production  of  cot- 
ton in  the  State.  Last  year  (1923)  65,000  bales 
were  produced  on  72,011  acres,  a  yield  of  .90 
bales  to  the  acre,  which  is  .15  more  bales  to 
the  acre  than  the  State  average.  Much  of  this 
is  used  by  the  factories  in  the  county,  but  a 
greater  part  is  shipped  away. 

We  rank  second  in  the  State  in  the  produc- 
tion of  corn.  The  average  yield  per  acre  is  22.1 
bushels,  as  compared  with  the  State  average  of 
17.7  bushels.  Practically  all  of  this  goes  to 
feed  the  stock,  and  into  meal.  The  yield  is  in- 
creasing annually,  due  to  advanced  methods  of 
production,  .and  to  the  activities  of  corn  clubs 
and  county  agents. 

In  tobacco,  Johnston  ranks  fourth  in  the 
State  in  production,  producing  9,357,193 
pounds  of  the  golden  weed  in  1921,  and  better- 
ing the  State  average  per  acre  yield  of  610.3 
pounds  by  75.3  pounds.  The  production  of  to- 
bacco in  the  county  has  greatly  increased  with- 
in the  last  decade. 

Potatoes  are  raised  in  large  quantities  also, 
but  in  production  they  are  far  behind  the  aver- 
age named  products.  The  same  may  be  said 
for  peas,  forage,  and  grain.  Peas  are  mostly 
sown  broadcast  in  corn  fields.  Grain  is  raised 
chiefly  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county.  The 
forage  is  used  in  feeding  workstock  during  the 
winter  months.  Peanuts  are  raised  in  small 
quantities.  The  possibilities  for  this  crop  are 
very  good  and  the  industry  will  in  all  probabil- 
ity grow  in  the  future. 

In  1920  the  land  in  farms  totaled  212,552 
acres,  with  a  value  of  $40,747,814.  There  were 
2,508  farmers  who  reported  expenditures  for 
labor  in  that  year,  their  returns  amounting  to 
$380,428.  The  6,431  farmers  reporting  ex- 
penditures for  fertilizers  spent  $2,391,401  on 
this  item.  The  3,230  farmers  reporting  as  buy- 
ing farm  feed  for  live  stock  spent  for  this  feed 
$298,003.  In  total  value  of  crops,  Johnston 
stands  third  in  the  State,  with  $19,229,785  in 
1919.  In  that  year  there  were  2,366  farms  free 
from  mortgage,  while  604  reported  mortgages. 

RAILROADS   AND   HIGHWAYS 

The  central  part  of  Johnston  County,  in  a 
line  running  north  and  south,  is  traversed  by 


the  main  line  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line  Rail- 
road, which  runs  from  New  York  to  Jackson- 
ville. There  are  two  local  freights  that  stop 
at  every  station  on  this  road  every  day,  one 
running  north,  and  the  other  south.  There  are 
several  through  freights  that  stop  only  in  Sel- 
ma.  In  addition  to  this,  there  are  six  local  pas- 
senger trains  and  four  through  trains  on  this 
road  daily.  The  best  transportation  facilities 
in  the  county  are  furnished  by  this  road. 

The  Southern  Railway  runs  in  an  easterly- 
westerly  direction  from  Goldsboro  to  Asheville. 
This  road  affords  a  good  means  for  passenger 
and  freight  transportation,  and  stops  at  every 
town  through  which  it  runs  in  the  county. 

The  principal  highways  in  Johnston  are  the 
National  and  the  Central.  These  roads  ai-e  in 
excellent  condition,  being  maintained  by  the 
State  Highway  Commission.  Nearly  all  the 
main  thoroughfares  are  also  in  good  condi- 
tion. Both  the  Central  and  the  National  High- 
ways are  soon  to  be  paved. 

Every  town  has  a  telephone  system,  and  sev- 
eral telegraph  offices. 

OPPORTUNITIES 

As  has  been  stated  above,  Johnston  County 
is  primarily  an  agricultural  county.  There  are 
very  few  manufacturing  concerns  in  compari- 
son to  the  great  amount  of  farming.  The  great- 
est individual  industry  other  than  farming  in 
the  county  is  that  of  lumber.  There  are  98 
rough  lumber  mills,  and  12  dressing  and  plan- 
ing mills.  There  are  25  garages  and  repair 
shops,  and  14  miscellaneous  industries,  such  as 
chemical  and  oil  industries. 

SIZE  AND  POPULATION 

Johnston  County  is  the  eighth  largest  county 
in  the  State,  with  a  total  area  of  over  half  a 
million  acres,  nearly  three-fourths  of  which 
was  in  farms  according  to  the  last  census.  This 
area  represents  exactly  807  square  miles.  Robe- 
son, the  largest  county  in  the  State,  has  an  area 
of  990  square  miles. 

The  increase  in  population  during  the  last 
ten  years  has  been  very  noticeable,  amounting 
to  7,597,  with  over  three-fourths  of  the  in- 
crease white. 

During  this  ten-year  period  the  negro  ratio 
of  population  decreased  exactly  one  per  cent. 
The   increase  of  negro     farm  operators  was 


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Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


smaller  than  in  any  county  in  the  combination 
cotton  and  tobacco  belt.  Eighty-one  per  cent  of 
the  farms  of  Johnston  are  cultivated  by  white 
farmers.  This  is  the  highest  rate  to  be  found 
in  the  eastern  half  of  North  Carolina  except 
Dare  and  Carteret  down  on  the  coast.  The 
small  increase  in  negro  population  can  be  at- 
tributed to  the  low  negro  population  ratio  of 
the  county,  and  to  a  comparatively  low  migra- 
tion of  negroes  into  Johnston  from  other  coun- 
ties during  the  period. 

A  FARMING  PEOPLE 

While  over  half  the  counties  of  the  State 
have  more  people  living  on  farms  than  we  have, 
over  four-fifths  of  our  people  live  in  the  rural 
districts.  In  this  respect  we  are  above  the 
State  average  by  more  than  ten  per  cent.  In 
Johnston  nearly  five  out  of  every  six  people  live 
in  the  open  country.  In  North  Carolina  seven 
out  of  every  ten  are  country  dwellers.  Three 
counties  have  no  incorporated  towns.  We  are 
almost  wholly  an  agricultural  people,  digging 
our  living  out  of  the  soil,  contributing  enor- 
mous totals  of  agricultural  wealth  yearly,  and 
building  up  a  sturdy  race  amongst  wholesome 
surroundings.  The  county  is,  as  a  result, 
densely  populated,  an  average  of  more  than 
fifty  country  people  living  on  every  square  mile 
of  our  territory,  or  one  person  on  every  13 
acres  for  the  entire  county.  We  have  no  large 
towns  and  the  population  is  well  scattered  over 
the  county. 

WEALTH 

Farm  property  in  Johnston  in  1920  had  a 
census  value  of  $40,740,814,  which  includes 
farm  buildings,  implements,  machinery  and 
live  stock.  Not  all  this  property  was  on  the 
tax  books,  but  the  great  bulk  of  our  taxable 
wealth  consists  of  farm  properties. 


In  1921  our  wealth  on  the  tax  books  amount- 
ed to  $862  per  capita  while  the  per  capita 
wealth  of  the  State  was  $1,007.  Johnston  ranks 
below  the  State  average  because  she  is  almost 
entirely  agricultural,  with  few  big  manufac- 
turing plants  to  swell  the  tax  list.  Farm  prop- 
erty is  seldom  listed  at  what  it  will  actually 
bring  on  the  market.  Our  real  wealth  per  per- 
son is  somewhat  above  $862. 

FARM  WEALTH 

We  had  a  great  increase  in  farm  wealth  from 
1910  to  1920,  the  total  increase  amounting  to 
197.5  per  cent.  The  soils  of  the  county  are  be- 
ing so  treated  as  to  gain  in  richness,  and  as  a 
result  land  values  are  increasing  yearly.  Our 
rapidly  growing  population  means  rapidly  in- 
creasing land  values.  Population  growth  is  the 
greatest  factor  in  land  value  increase.  Another 
primary  factor  is  the  ability  of  the  soil  to  pro- 
duce wealth.  We  ranked  third  in  this  State  in 
the  production  of  agricultural  wealth,  which 
includes  crops  and  live  stock,  with  $20,647,000. 
Of  the  3,000  counties  in  the  United  States, 
Johnston  ranks  among  the  50  highest  in  the 
production  of  crop  values.  The  production  of 
agricultural  wealth  pe,r  farm  in  the  county  was 
nearly  three  thousand  dollars,  which  is  exceed- 
ingly high,  and  very  gratifying.  It  was  nearly 
a  thousand  dollars  higher  than  the  State  aver- 
age. We  need  more  good  farmers  and  more  in- 
dustries.   For  further  information 


WRITE 

REGISTER  OF  DEEDS 

SMITHFIELD,   N.   C. 


Twenty-Two 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


Eastern  North  Carolina  as  a  Prospective  Dairy  Section 


By  A.  C.   KIMREY,   N.  C.  Dairy  Extension 


Any  section  that  aspires  to  be  a  dairy  section 
must  first  possess  such  soil  and  weather  con- 
ditions that  will  make  it  possible  to  economi- 
cally produce  an  abundance  of  feed.  Success- 
ful dairying,  or  any  other  branch  of  live  stock 
production,  is  very  largely  dependent  upon 
good  economical  feeding  and  this  is  not  possible 
in  a  section  where  soil  and  weather  conditions 
do  not  permit  large  crop  production. 

It  is  hardly  possible  that  any  section  of  this 
country  can  excel  Eastern  North  Carolina  when 
it  comes  to  the  question  of  ability  to  produce 
feed.  It  is  richly  endowed  by  nature  with  a 
deep  fertile  soil,  and  one  that  is  exceptionally 
easy  to  cultivate,  making  it  possible  for  the 
number  of  acres  that  can  be  cultivated  by  one 
man  to  be  very  large,  as  compared  with  other 
good  sections  of  the  country.  In  addition  to  a 
fertile  soil,  the  section  has  an  abundant  rain- 
fall, lack  of  which  is  one  of  the  constant  fears 
of  dairymen  in  certain  sections  even  of  our 
own  State.  A  good  soil,  an  abundant  rainfall 
together  with  a  very  mild  climate  and  long 
growing  seasons,  make  it  a  section  well  adapt- 
ed to  feed  crop  growing. 

Corn,  for  example,  yields  well  in  all  of  the 
eastern  counties  and  corn  is  the  great  basic 
feed  crop  for  the  dairy  cow.  In  addition  to 
corn,  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that  Eastern  North 
Carolina  can  produce  almost  an  unlimited 
amount  of  soy  bean  and  pea  vine  hay,  and  no 
better  hays  for  dairy  cow  feeding  can  be  pro- 
duced anywhere.  In  soy  bean  meal  and  cotton 
seed  meal  it  has  at  its  own  door  without  any 
freight  charges  added  the  most  common  source 
of  protein  found  in  American  feeding  stuffs. 
In  addition  to  these  oats  and  rye  seem  to  feel  at 
home  in  our  Coastal  Plain  Section  and  produce 
good  crops,  which  help  to  add  variety  to  the 
home  grown  dairy  ration. 

Pasture,  which  is  probably  essential  to  per- 
manent dairying  can  be  provided  in  this  coastal 
section,  as  has  been  demonstrated  in  practically 
every  county  by  the  county  farm  agents  and 
others.  It  is,  of  course,  true  that  there  is  at 
present  no  great  amount  of  pasture  in  our  fifty 
eastern  counties,  but  this  is  because  the  farm- 
ers have  considered  grass  an  enemy  instead  of 
a  friend,  and  is  no  evidence  that  pasture  cannot 
be  provided.  Any  section  with  a  rich  soil, 
long  growing  season,  and  amount  of  rainfall 


that  Eastern  North  Carolina  has,  can  grow 
grass  and  make  good  permanent  pasture. 

Next  in  importance  after  ability  to  grow 
feed,  from  a  dairy  standpoint,  is  the  matter  of 
markets.  The  first  great  market  to  be  supplied 
is  the  local  or  home  market.  Dairy  products 
should  make  up  a  greater  portion  of  the  daily 
diet  of  the  people  of  Eastern  Carolina.  At 
present  there  are  in  the  fifty  counties  that  lie 
east  of  Raleigh  only  one  dairy  cow  to  every  14 
people,  or  approximately  one  cow  to  every  three 
families.  The  man  who  would  be  a  dairyman 
in  this  section  should  first  strive  to  see  that  his 
local  market  is  well  supplied.  Scarcely  a  town 
in  all  Eastern  Carolina  has  an  ample  supply  of 
milk. 

When  the  local  needs  are  supplied,  then  the 
man  who  keeps  cows  can  look  for  an  outside 
market.  He  will  not  have  to  look  far,  for  prac- 
tically every  farm  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
State  is  within  easy  shipping  distance  of  an 
already  organized  creamery,  that  is  properly 
financed  and  on  its  feet,  and  that  has  already 
passed  through  that  uneasy,  experimental 
stage  that  all  new  creameries  pass  through. 
Selling  cream  for  butter  making  purposes  is 
the  one  market  for  dairy  products  that  is  open 
to  every  man  who  will  feed  and  milk  a  cow,  not 
only  for  a  part  of  the  year,  but  every  day  in  the 
year,  including  both  Sundays  and  holidays. 

Now  let  me  call  attention  to  the  facts  that 
have  been  and  are  now  keeping  Eastern  North 
Carolina  from  being  a  dairy  section.  Cotton 
is  usually  mentioned  as  being  the  cause.  It  is 
indirectly  the  cause,  but  not  directly.  In  the 
first  place  the  native  cow  in  this  section  is  a 
poor,  non-profitable  producer  and  has  served 
as  a  discouraging  factor  to  those  who  have  at- 
tempted to  do  dairying  with  her.  On  the  other 
hand  a  barn  filled  with  good  cows  well  fed  and 
cared  for  will  make  cotton  profits  per  acre  of 
land  involved  take  a  back  seat  and  keep  it.  Bet- 
ter cows  must  be  brought  in  if  dairying  is  to 
become  a  paying  business,  even  with  all  the 
favorable  conditions  mentioned  above. 

The  other  handicap  and  probably  the  great- 
est that  Eastern  North  Carolina  has  that  keeps 
it  from  becoming  a  great  dairy  section  is  that 
the  people,  due  to  their  past  experiences  as 
farmers,  are  not  dairy  minded,  and  any  people 
that  are  not  live  stock  minded  develop  into  a 
dairy  section  far  more  slowly  than  their  natur- 
al conditions  would  seem  to  justify.  While  it 
is  necessary  to  bring  in  cows  it  may  also  be  de- 
sirable to  induce  families  to  come  in  who  are 
dairy  minded  and  who  appreciate  the  wonder- 
ful possibilities  that  the  dairy  cow  possesses 
to  help  make  Eastern  North  Carolina  develop 
along  safe  and  permanent  agricultural  lines. 


Twenty-Three 


Eastern     North     Carolina    E n cyclopedia 


JONES    COUNTY 


Jones  County  is  located  in  Eastern  North 
Carolina.  The  Atlantic  is  only  35  miles  away 
and  the  Gulf  Stream  only  75  miles.  Think 
what  this  means  to  our  climate !     The  average 


September  to  November.  The  annual  average 
number  of  days  with  0.01  inches  or  more  pre- 
cipitation is  109.  The  average  annual  snow- 
fall is  four  inches.     Some  winters  pass  with- 


Hardwood     Industry,     Jones     County 


annual  mean  temperature  for  33  years  has  been 
62  degrees.  January,  the  coldest  month,  has 
had  an  annual  mean  temperature  of  46  de- 
grees and  July,  the  hottest  month,  an  average 
of  79  degrees.  The  annual  precipitation  for 
the  county  averages  50  inches.  The  largest 
monthly  amount,  7.5  inches,  occurs  in  July  and 
the  least,  2.62  inches  comes  in  November.  The 
rainfall  is  heaviest  in  summer  when  crops  need 
it  most,  with  21  inches  from  June  to  August, 
and  the  least  in  autumn,  with  11.5  inches  from 


out  snow,  and  the  heaviest  amounts  received 
seldom  remain  on  the  ground  more  than  one  or 
two  days. 

The  growing  seasons  are  long.  The  average 
date  of  the  first  killing  frost  is  November  6th, 
and  the  earliest  date  on  record  is  October  10th. 
Some  years  there  is  very  little  frost  before 
Christmas.  The  average  date  of  the  latest 
killing  frost  in  the  spring  is  April  3rd,  and  the 
latest  date  of  killing  frost  has  been  April  26th. 

The  chief  industry  of  the  county  is  farming, 


Oats    and    Vetch,    Jones    County 


Sixteen-Foot    Highway    Through    Jones    County 


Twenty -Four 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


although  there  are  several  cotton 
gins  and  lumber  mills.  In  the  for- 
ests of  the  county  there  are  mil- 
lions of  feet  of  virgin  hard  and 
soft  wood  timber.  Another  nat- 
ural resource  is  marl.  It  is  es- 
timated that  there  is  100  million 
tons  in  one  body  that  analyzes  from 
90  to  95  per  cent  calcium  carbon- 
ate and  some  of  this  has  a  trace  of 
phosphate.  There  is  another  100 
million  tons  that  is  suitable  for 
making  concrete  and  suitable  clay 
can  be  found  nearby  for  mixing 
with  it.  Practically  every  farmer 
has  his  marl  bed  and  uses  this  marl 
for  liming  the  soil. 

The  two  banks  of  the  county  do 
a  good  business  and  lend  their  as- 
sistance to  the  development  of  the 
county.  Good  schools  are  main- 
tained. The  tax  rate  is  low,  being  only  a  1.15 
rate  for  the  county.  The  public  roads  are  well 
maintained  and  a  concrete  road  runs  through 
the  county  affording  easy  access  to  the  markets 
for  farm  produce. 

The  land  is  fertile.  It  will  produce  more 
corn  and  better  corn  than  the  high  priced  lands 
of  Iowa.  It  is  well  suited  to  the  production 
of  high  quality  tobacco,  cotton,  peanuts  and 
hay.  It  will  produce  truck  of  all  kinds  in 
abundance.  It  is  within  600  miles  of  60  per 
cent  of  the  entire  population  of  the  United 
States.  Its  products  can  be  marketed  in  New 
York,  Philadelphia  or  Baltimore. 


Country   Home  of  County   Commissioner   E.   E.  Bell,   at   Pollocksville,   Jones   County 


One  of  Three   County  Consolidated  Schools  at   Pollocksville,   Jones   County 


Jones  County  is  peculiarly  fitted  for  the 
breeding  and  raising  of  live  stock  of  all  kinds. 
Grazing  can  be  had  practically  the  year  round. 
No  expensive  housing  is  needed  for  the  stock. 
Its  natural  pasturage  and  its  excellent  climate 
make  of  it  the  ideal  dairying,  sheep,  hog  and 
cattle  raising  section  of  America. 

The  fields,  forests  and  streams  abound  in 
game  and  game  fish.  Deer,  wild  turkey,  geese 
and  duck  are  plentiful.  In  the  spring  our 
streams  are  full  of  shad  and  good  fishing  can 
be  had  the  entire  year. 

Farm  where  there  is  a  12-month  growing 
season  and  where  you  don't  have  to  "put  all 
of  your  eggs  in  one  basket."  Far- 
mers in  North  Carolina,  especially 
in  Jones  County  where  crops  grow 
twelve  months  in  the  year  do  not 
have  to  depend  entirely  upon  the 
proceeds  of  one  crop  or  one  season, 
to  make  money.  Should  one  crop 
be  short,  or  through  over  produc- 
tion fail  to  bring  a  good  return  on 
the  market,  there  are  always  crops 
of  the  other  seasons  to  fall  back  on. 
Spring,  summer,  autumn,  win- 
ter, the  farmers  of  Jones  County 
can  grow  something  as  a  money 
crop.  Orchard  fruits,  fall,  win- 
ter and  spring  vegetables,  sum- 
mer staple  crops,  live  stock, 
dairying,  poultry,  bees,  etc.,  form  a 
year-'round   agricultural    program 


Twenty-Five 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


that  may  be  as  varied  as  you  choose 
and  will  give  you  something  to  sell 
at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 

Good  land  can  be  bought  cheap. 
There  are  thousands  of  acres  of 
fine  farm  lands  in  the  county  which 
can  be  bought  cheap  in  comparison 
with  the  cost  of  good  lands  in  the 
more  thickly-populated  sections. 

Get  away  from  the  worry  and 
risk  of  the  one  season  crop.  Come 
to  Jones  County  where  you  have 
opportunity  to  make  money  all  the 
year  round,  where  there  is  no  long, 
unproductive  winter. 

For  further  reference  as  to 
Jones  County,  write, 

J.  R.  Lowery,  Trenton,  N.  C, 
Chairman,  County  Commissioners, 

or 
The  County  Agent,  Trenton,  N.  C. 


Tobacco    Growing,    Jones    County 


Marl   Bed,   Jones   County 


Twenty-Six 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


LENOIR    COUNTY 


Network    of    Paved    Roads,    Lenoir    County 

LENOIR  COUNTY  is  located  in  the  Central 
Coastal  Plain  Section  of  North  Carolina.  It 
was  the  pioneer  in  ROAD  BUILDING  in  the 
State,  having  already  constructed  six  main 
highways  of  sheet  asphalt  on  concrete,  costing 
approximately  two  and  three  quarter  million 
dollars.  Its  largest  towns  are:  Kinston,  the 
county  seat,  LaGrange,  Pink  Hill  and  Deep 
Run.  All  of  which  are  served  by  railroads  and 
paved  highways. 

THE  SOIL  AND  CLIMATE  is  conducive 
to  the  profitable  production  of  all  crops  adapt- 
ed to  the  temperate  zone.  The  average  mean 
temperature  is  62.4  degrees  and  the  average 
annual  rainfall  43.73  inches. 

Its  area  embraces  390  square  miles,  of  which 
75.8  per  cent  is  in  farms.  The  1920  population 
was  29,555. 

AGRICULTURE  is  the  predominating  busi- 
ness of  the  inhabitants;  the  value  of  all  crops 
totaling  over  $10,000,000.00  annually. 

The  average  per  acre  production  of  the  main 
crops  are  as  follows  for  1923 :  Cotton,  three- 
fourths  of  a  bale  (State  average,  290  pounds 
lint  cotton)  ;  corn,  28  bushels  (State  average, 
22.5  bushels)  ;  tobacco,  920  pounds  (State  aver- 
age 700  pounds)  ;  (Lenoir's  average  for  tobac- 
co is  second  highest  in  the  belt)  ;  oats,  21 
bushels  (State  average,  22  bushels)  ;  white  po- 
tatoes, 105  bushels  (State  average,  105  bush- 
els) ;  sweet  potatoes,  140  bushels,  the  highest  in 
the  State  (State  average,  105  bushels)  ;  tame 
hay,  1.2  tons  (State  average,  1.2  tons)  ;  soy 
beans,    20    bushels,    the    highest    in    the    state 


(State  average,  17  bushels)  ;  winter  wheat,  12 
bushels  (State  average,  11.1  bushels)  ;  wild 
hay,  1  ton  per  acre  (State  average,  1  ton  per 
acre.) 

LENOIR  COUNTY,  with  its  equable  climate, 
long  growing  season,  and  fertile  arable  soil  is 
particularly  adapted  to  dairying  and  stock  rais- 
ing in  addition  to  the  above  mentioned  crops. 

THE  SCHOOL  SYSTEM  is  standard  in 
every  respect  and  amply  provides  educational 
advantages  for  all.  Consolidation  of  the  dis- 
trict schools  into  large  grade  and  high  schools 
is  in  process  of  realization,  at  which  time  all 
students  will  be  transported  in  closed  busses  to 
and  from  school  over  the  magnificent  paved 
highways. 

MANUFACTURED  PRODUCTS  total  in 
value  annually  over  $6,000,000.00. 

LAGRANGE,  the  second  town  in  the  county, 
has  a  population  of  1,400  citizens  of  the  best 
Anglo-Saxon  blood  in  the  State.  It  is  located 
13  miles  west  of  Kinston  on  the  Central  High- 
way, running  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea, 
and  the  Norfolk  Southern  Railroad,  and  is  a 
thriving  town  having  all  of  the  conveniences 


Paved    Road,    Lenoir    County 


Twenty-Seven 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


of  a  modern  city.  The  area  com- 
prising its  trade  territory  is  one  of 
the  most  fertile  sections  in  the 
county,  and  it  offers  many  possi- 
bilities to  anyone  desiring  to  get 
away  from  the  noise  and  bustle  of 
the  larger  towns  and  cities  and  at 
the  same  time  enjoy  city  advan- 
tages. Two  well  established  banks 
provide  for  the  financial  needs  of 
the  territory. 

PINK  HILL,  the  third  largest 
town,  is  located  in  the  extreme 
southern  part  of  the  county,  17 
miles  from  Kinston,  on  a  paved 
highway  and  served  by  the  Kinston 
Carolina  Railroad.  It  has  an  excellent  county 
consolidated  school,  and  many  facilities  similar 
to  those  found  in  larger  towns.  It  is  in  the 
center  of  a  section  which  produces  the  highest 
grade  of  tobacco  in  the  belt,  and  is  adapted  to 
the  profitable  production  of  peaches  and  dew- 
berries as  well  as  general  crops.  One  grow- 
ing bank  provides  for  the  financial  needs. 

DEEP  RUN  is  a  small  town,  recently  in- 
corporated, located  midway  between  Kinston 
and  Pink  Hill  on  a  paved  highway  and  the 
Kinston  Carolina  Railroad.  It  promises  to  be- 
come a  factor  in  the  county's  commercial  life, 
and  like  Pink  Hill  is  surrounded  by  a  section 
adapted  to  fruits  and  dewberries  as  well  as 
other  crops. 

FARMERS  possessing  practical  scientific 
knowledge  of  general,  dairy  and  live  stock 
farming  are  needed  in  Lenoir  County  to  help 
develop  her  natural  resources,  and  Lenoir 
County  offers  to  such  many  opportunities  not 
found  elsewhere. 


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Tobacco    Field,    Lenoir    County 


Cotton    Growing,    Lenoir    County 

KINSTON,  NORTH  CAROLINA 

The  county  seat  of  Lenoir  County,  population 
12,000,  is  located  on  the  Neuse  River,  in  the 
heart  of  the  bright  leaf  tobacco  belt.  KINS- 
TON is  a  modern,  clean  city,  having  13  1-2 
miles  of  paved  streets;  30  miles  of  paved  side- 
walks ;  a  standard  school  system,  modern  and 
adequate ;  churches  of  nearly  all  denomina- 
tions ;  adequate  wholesome  amusements ;  a 
country  club  in  course  of  construction;  a  golf 
course;  two  water  amusement  parks. 

KINSTON  is  served  by  four  rail  lines,  the 
Atlantic  Coast  Line,  the  Norfolk  Southern, 
the  Kinston  Carolina,  and  the  Carolina,  and  is 
the  center  of  the  finest  system  of  hard  surfaced 
roads  in  the  State,  making  communication  with 
the  outside  world  rapid  and  easy.  The  city 
owns  and  operates  its  water  and  light  plant, 
having  a  supply  sufficient  for  a  city  of  double 
the  present  population. 

ELECTRIC  CURRENT  for  IN- 
DUSTRIAL use  is  furnished  as 
low  as  two  cents  per  K.  W.  H. ;  an 
excellent  supply  of  pure  artesian 
water  at  reasonable  rates. 

INDUSTRIES  include  two  cot- 
ton mills,  a  hosiery  mill,  a  packing 
plant,  several  lumber  plants,  five 
tobacco  factories,  an  iron  and 
mantle  works,  three  ice  cream 
plants,  and  a  score  of  smaller  in- 
dustries. 


Twenty-Eight 


Eastern    North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


THREE  STRONG  BANKS,  having  a  com- 
bined capital  of  $415,900.00 ;  combined  re- 
sources of  $5,063,144.91;  combined  deposits  of 
$4,292,037.38,  amply  provide  for  the  financial 
needs  of  the  city  and  trade  territory,  which 
embraces  a  population  of  over  50,000  people. 

As  a  MARKET,  Kinston  ranks  high,  being 
one  of  the  three  largest  tobacco  and  cotton 
markets  in  the  State.  Over  18,000  bales  of 
cotton  are  handled  annually,  and  over  30,000,- 


000  pounds  of  tobacco  was  sold  on  its  market 
this  season,  just  closed. 

KINSTON'S  wholesale  and  retail  territory 
has  a  radius  of  over  30  miles,  which  is  served 
by  five  wholesale,  and  many  more  retail  estab- 
lishments. 

Industrial  plants  are  welcomed,  especially 
those  using  as  raw  materials,  agricultural  and 
forest  products;  and  unusual  opportunities  for 
successful  operation  are  offered. 


KINSTON 

Has  Within 

a  Radius 

of 

Sixty  Miles, 

Over 

500,000  People 


Full  Information 

Gladly 

Furnished 

by  the 

Chamber  of 

Commerce, 

Kinston,  N.  C. 


Bird's-eye    View    of    Kinston,    Lenoir    County 


Twenty-Nine 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


NASH    COUNTY 


In  looking  over  the  many  inducements  of- 
fered the  prospective  settler  or  investor  by 
Eastern  Carolina  the  inquirer  will  profit  by 
stopping  for  awhile  to  consider  the  many  ad- 
vantages to  be  found  in  the  County  of  Nash. 

Nash  County  was  created  in  1777  by  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  North  Carolina,  and  since 
that  time  has  played  an  important  part  in  the 
history  of  the  State  and  Nation.  It  is  situated 
in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  great  State  of 


Nash  lies  in  the  center  of  the  famous  section 
of  Carolina  known  as  the  "Marlboro  Strip". 
The  soil  of  this  section  is  a  light  loam  over  clay 
subsoil,  and  is  very  easy  to  cultivate  with  any 
of  the  various  types  of  modern  machinery. 
From  this  type  as  an  average  of  her  soils, 
Nash  can  furnish  the  farmer  with  his  choice 
of  a  few  red-clay  farms  in  the  western  sections 
of  the  county,  or  if  he  desires  sandy  lands  for 
peanuts   or   tobacco   and   truck   these   can   be 


Consolidated    School,    Nash    County 


North  Carolina,  just  on  the  divide  between  the 
flat  lands  of  the  Coastal  Plain  and  the  rolling 
lands  of  the  Piedmont  section.  Its  area  is  535 
square  miles,  with  a  population  of  45,000  of 
practically  100  per  cent  American  citizens. 

The  geographical  location,  its  splendid  soils, 
its  progressive  people,  and  other  natural  re- 
sources are  its  greatest  assets.  Here  it  is  cold 
enough  in  the  winter  to  encourage  thrift  and 
industry  among  the  people.  There  are  usu- 
ally enough  cold  days  to  rid  Nash  of  many 
noxious  insects  that  become  a  serious  pest  in 
more  southerly  sections  of  the  cotton  belt. 
Being  in  the  very  northern  part  of  the  cotton 
zone,  the  boll  weevil  is  not  expected  to  survive 
here  in  sufficient  numbers  to  become  a  serious 
menace  to  Nash  County's  high  rank  as  a  cot- 
ton county.  The  1923  crop  was  the  highest 
yielding  crop  in  the  history  of  the  county. 


easily  found  within  the  borders  of  Nash.  All 
these  types  are  found  on  some  individual  farms. 
Good  farms  may  be  bought  at  prices  ranging 
from  $10.00  to  $200.00  per  acre,  depending  up- 
on location  and  improvements. 

Being  blessed  with  a  variety  of  fertile  soils, 
naturally  Nash  County  produces  a  wide  variety 
of  crops.  The  leading  ones  are  cotton,  tobacco 
and  corn;  while  oats,  peanuts,  wheat,  rye, 
grass,  alfalfa,  fruits  and  vegetables  are  grown 
quite  extensively.  To  those  who  desire  live 
stock  lands  Nash  offers  natural  advantages  that 
are  scarcely  excelled  in  the  South.  Natural 
grasses  grow  profusely  on  the  heavier  soils,  and 
the  various  clovers  respond  eagerly  to  proper 
treatment,  and  twelve  month  grazing  is  easily 
secured  for  live  stock.  This  type  of  farming 
is  on  the  increase  in  Nash  County.  Ready  mar- 
kets for  meats  and  poultry  products  are  near- 


Thirty 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


by  within  the  county  to  be  reached  by  a  short 
truck  haul  over  improved  sand-clay  and  hard- 
surface  roads.  Or  if  still  larger  markets  are 
wanted  railroads  are  equally  convenient  and 
eager  to  carry  country  produce  to  the  big  East- 
ern centers  where  they  may  be  served  to  the 
consumer  within  eighteen  hours  from  the  time 
it  leaves  the  farm.  The  tobacco  farmer  finds 
in  Rocky  Mount  (half  in  Nash  County)  one  of 
the  best  and  biggest  tobacco  markets  in  the 
State.  While  it  is  not  the  largest  market  it 
always  ranks  either  at  the  top  or  near  the  top 
in  average  price  paid  to  the  farmer.  The  cotton 
producer  finds  a  ready  market  for  his  product 
in  any  of  the  several  towns  and  cities  in  the 
county.  Some  of  Nash's  cotton  is  manufactur- 
ed in  the  county,  and  this  field  of  development 
is  just  being  opened. 

Tar  River,  winding  down  the  full  length  of 
Nash  County  and  up  along  its  eastern  border 
offers  opportunities  for  water  power  that  will 
soon  be  realized  more  fully  by  seekers  of  this 
form  of  power.  Already  there  are  several  dams 
along  this  river,  furnishing  power  for  city 
lighting,  flour  mills,  corn  mills,  cotton  facto- 
ries, and  various  electrical  purposes.  But  there 
are  many  good  dam  sites  still  available  to  the 
investor  that  can  be  had  at  reasonable  prices 
with  a  certain  profit  on  the  money  expended. 

The  banking  and  general  credit  facilities  of 
Nash  are  of  the  highest  type,  and  are  being  de- 
veloped by  a  splendid  corps  of  men  with  a  view 
towards  service  to  the  thrifty  and  needy  citi- 
zen who  will   show   himself  to  be   worthy  of 


trust  and  confidence.  During  the  severe  trials 
of  the  deflation  period  of  1920-21  when  many 
good  people  were  caught  in  the  remorseless  cur- 
rent of  hard  times,  business  failures  and  fore- 
closures were  comparatively  few  in  Nash  Coun- 
ty. And  one  of  the  big  helps  was  the  faith 
and  confidence  shown  the  people  of  Nash  by 
the  banks  of  the  county.  Many  were  the  poor 
financial  but  good  moral  risks  that  the  banks 
"Carried"  through  those  trying  years  to  finally 
rescue  them  from  what  would  have  been  finan- 
cial ruin  had  their  bankers  been  of  the  "Shy- 
lock"  variety.  The  bankers  of  Nash  are  ready 
and  anxious  to  meet  the  homeseeker  and  the 
promoter  who  comes  to  them  for  aid  and  ad- 
vice. 

Here  in  Nash  are  to  be  found  all  the  princi- 
pal denominations  of  churches  existing  in  the 
Southland.  The  newcomer  is  welcomed  to  all 
or  any  of  them  regardless  of  his  creed.  Sunday 
schools  are  numerous  and  well  attended  and  are 
run  along  the  most  modern  lines  for  this  class 
of  social  and  religious  training. 

In  health  work  Nash  is  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  the  State.  It  has  enjoyed  the  benefits  of 
a  whole-time  health  officer,  welfare  officer,  and 
a  county  nurse.  A  close  watch  is  kept  for  epi- 
demics, and  an  accurate  record  made  of  the 
vital  statistics  is  available  at  all  times  to  the 
public.  For  those  unfortunate  enough  to  be 
left  destitute  Nash  has  almost  completed  a 
County  Home  that  can  hardly  be  matched  in 
the  South.  In  architectural  design,  modernity 
of  equipment,  and  comfort  for  the  unfortunate 


Thirty-One 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


Court    House,    Nash    County 


it  will  always  stand  as  an  evidence  of  the  spirit 
of  charity  that  a  fortunate  citizenship  feels 
for  those  whose  existence  has  been  marred  by 
the  unkind  hand  of  fate. 

Educationally  Nash  is  keeping  pace  with  her 
rapid   industrial   and   economic   advancement, 


Falls    of    Tar    River,    Mills    in    Distance,    Rocky    Mount 


for  the  people  realize  that  only  by  having  an 
educated  citizenship  can  a  community  or  state 
keep  up  with  the  modern  spirit  of  advancement. 
The  old  fashioned  little  Red  School  House  of 
the  Civil  War  age  is  entirely  replaced  by  lar- 
ger and  more  modern  type  buildings.  Since  1918 
thirteen  permanent  buildings  have  been  erected 
and  plans  for  many  more  are  under  way.  Dur- 
ing this  five-year  period  approximately  $600,- 
000.00  have  been  spent  on  buildings  and  equip- 
ment. There  are  nine  high  schools  in  the  coun- 
ty that  prepare  students  for  college  entrance. 

If  YOU  desire  a  change  of  location,  business 
or  climate,  and  want  to  cast  your  lot  among  a 
progressive  and  contented  people,  come  to  Old 
Nash  County,  North  Carolina.  Look  it  over 
carefully;  talk  with  its  folks.  They  will  give 
you  a  cordial  welcome  to  their  homes  and  com- 
munities; to  their  county.  It  is  a  county  in 
which  you  will  enjoy  living  and  working.  By 
thrift  and  honesty  you  will  prosper  from  your 
labor.  Come  now  and  investigate  while  there 
are  many  opportunities  for  all  who  will  come 
and  look. 

For  further  information  about  Nash  Coun- 
ty, write  Register  of  Deeds,  Nashville,  N.  C. 
or 
M.  F.  Morgan,  Bailey,  N.  C. 


Thirty-Tivo 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


Truck  and  Fruit  Growing  in  Eastern  Carolina 

By  C.  D.  Matthews, 

Chief,  Division  of  Horticulture,  N.  C.  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  and  Extension  Service 


There  is  probably  no  branch  of  agriculture 
that  has  developed  in  the  past  thirty  years  so 
strikingly  as  that  of  horticulture.  It  has  grown 
in  a  quarter  of  a  century  from  a  more  or  less 
general  and  relatively  unimportant  line  of  agri- 
culture to  a  highly  specialized  type  of  great 
importance.  As  a  result  of  changing  condi- 
tions, such  as  the  concentration  of  population 
in  the  cities,  the  decrease  of  food  producers  in 
the  rural  sections,  improved  railroad  facilities, 
the  possibilities  of  truck  transportation  because 
of  good  roads,  the  development  of  varieties  suit- 
able for  long  distance  transportation,  and  with 
the  development  of  improved  canning,  handling, 
and  storing  facilities,  the  production  of  horti- 
cultural crops  is  of  increasing  importance.  The 
economic  advantages  of  comparatively  cheap 
lands,  and  close  proximity  to  the  consuming 
markets  of  the  East  and  South  make  horticul- 
tural development  in  Eastern  Carolina  an  allur- 
ing opportunity. 

The  climate  of  the  Coastal  Plain  Section  is 
mild  and  equable,  being  suited  to  a  large  variety 
of  fruit  and  vegetable  crops.  The  rainfall  is 
ample  and  fairly  well  distributed  throughout 
the  year.  The  temperature  seldom  goes  above 
100  degrees  or  drops  below  zero.  The  summers 
are  long,  but  the  heat  in  the  counties  bordering 
the  coast  and  sounds  is  tempered  by  the  sea 
breeze.  The  growing  season  is  long  enough  for 
the  tenderest  vegetation.  The  modifying  in- 
fluence of  the  waters  of  Albemarle  and  Pamlico 
Sounds  and  the  broad  tidewater  streams  have 
an  appreciable  effect  upon  the  climate  and  les- 
sens the  danger  from  late  and  early  frosts. 
This  fact  accounts  largely  for  the  preferable 
use  of  the  soils  in  these  localities  for  trucking 
purposes,  and  for  the  production  of  certain 
fruits.  The  winter  and  early  spring  months 
are  sufficiently  mild  for  the  growth  of  many 
vegetables  for  early  market.  Both  the  climate 
and  the  soil  make  this  section  admirably  adapt- 
ed to  truck  growing. 

TRUCKING  IN  EASTERN  CAROLINA 
The  improvement  of  transportation  facilities 
and  the  increased  knowledge  of  commercial  fer- 
tilizer uses,  together  with  ideal  soil,  climatic 
conditions,  and  cheap  lands  has  made  truck 
growing  in  the  Coastal  Plain  Section  of  North 
Carolina  one  of  the  most  important  branches 
of  horticultural  work. 

The  rapid  growth  of  our  northern  cities  long 
ago  demonstrated  that  local  gardens  could  not 
produce  the  needed  supply.  With  improved 
transportation  facilities,  the  production  of 
early  vegetables  naturally  moved  southward. 

Climatic  conditions  in  the  Coastal  Plain,  with 
its  level,  mellow,  sandy  loam,  easy  of  cultiva- 


tion, and  retentive  of  moisture,  cause  it  to  be 
highly  adapted  to  the  production  of  early  vege- 
tables for  northern  markets.  With  these  un- 
surpassed natural  conditions  and  the  use  of 
frames  covered  with  cloth  or  glass,  and  in  some 
cases  the  installation  of  modern  steam-heated 
greenhouses  and  irrigation  systems,  the  truck- 
ing industry  has  made  wonderful  strides,  the 
production  of  vegetable  crops  in  winter  and 
early  spring  being  conducted  with  great  suc- 


cess. 


IRISH   POTATOES 


Irish  potatoes  are  generally  grown  through 
the  State  for  home  use  and  for  local  markets, 
but  the  commercial  industry  is  localized  in  the 
Coastal  Plain  Section  with  the  production  of  the 
early  truck  crop.  The  Irish  potato  industry 
brings  more  money  into  the  State  than  any 
other  horticultural  crop. 

The  production  of  the  early  crop  in  the  Coast- 
al Plain  Section  is  the  most  important  commer- 
cial truck  industry  in  the  State.  The  climate 
and  soil  of  the  section  make  it  possible  to  pro- 
duce large  crops  of  early  potatoes  so  that  they 
reach  the  market  at  a  time  between  the  Charles- 
ton section  of  South  Carolina  and  the  Norfolk 
section  of  Virginia.  The  counties  of  Pasquo- 
tank, Beaufort,  Currituck,  Carteret,  Craven, 
Wayne  and  Pamlico  are  the  chief  producers  of 
early  potatoes,  shipping  approximately  4,500 
cars  during  the  1922  season. 

A  second  crop  of  Irish  potatoes  is  often  pro- 
duced in  the  Coastal  Plain  Section  of  the  State. 
This  crop  is  planted  in  August  from  "seed"  of 
the  first  crop,  or  from  cold  storage  seed,  which 
generally  gives  much  better  results.  The  sec- 
ond crop  is  allowed  to  grow  until  frost.  Pota- 
toes from  this  crop  are  sometimes  used  for  seed 
in  growing  the  early  crop. 

SWEET  POTATOES 

Sweet  potatoes  are  the  most  important  horti- 
cultural crop  in  the  State  from  the  standpoint 
of  volume  and  value.  However,  in  comparison 
with  the  total  production,  the  commercial  pro- 
duction is  a  comparatively  small  amount,  but 
the  crop  is  becoming  of  more  commercial  im- 
portance each  year,  and  within  the  next  few 
years  it  is  expected  to  surpass  the  Irish  potato 
as  a  commercial  crop. 

Sweet  potatoes  are  grown  for  home  use  and 
local  markets  more  or  less  in  all  parts  of  the 
State,  with  the  exception  of  the  highest  por- 
tions in  the  Mountain  Section.  For  market 
purposes  they  are  produced  principally  in  the 
Coastal  Plain  Section.  The  commercial  sweet 
potato  industry  in  this  State  is  of  two  distinct 
types,  being  developed  around  different  types 
of  potatoes  and  different  methods  of  growing. 


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Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


One  type  of  the  industry  can  be  described  as 
the  early  truck  type,  while  the  other  is  known 
as  the  main  or  storage  crop.  The  early  truck 
type  is  limited  to  the  northeastern  part  of  the 
State,  with  the  principal  centers  of  production 
in  the  counties  of  Currituck,  Pasquotank,  Beau- 
fort, and  Pamlico.  The  Big  Stem  Jersey 
variety  is  used  almost  exclusively  in  these 
counties,  being  planted  early  and,  with  ship- 
ments starting  in  July,  continuing  through"  un- 
til October.  Approximately  700  cars  are  ship- 
ped from  this  section  each  year. 

The  State  has  both  natural  and  economic  ad- 
vantages for  the  development  of  the  sweet  po- 
tato industry.  The  climate  and  soil  are  well 
suited  to  producing  large  yields  of  potatoes  of 
high  quality  and  the  close  proximity  to  markets 
is  of  distinct  advantage.  The  cultural  prac- 
tices with  sweet  potatoes  are  not  so  intensive  as 
are  those  of  most  truck  crops.  The  sweet  po- 
tato thrives  best  on  only  moderately  fertile  soil, 
and  will  even  produce  good  crops  on  poor  soil. 
The  sandy  lands  of  the  Coastal  Plain  Section 
yield  abundant  crops,  300  bushels  an  acre  be- 
ing attained  with  only  average  attention. 

The  development  of  the  sweet  potato  industry 
on  the  basis  of  a  specialized  crop  industry, 
with  the  growers  organized  to  properly  produce 
the  crop,  provide  adequate  storage  facilities, 
carefully  prepare  the  crop  for  market,  intelli- 
gently develop  markets,  scientifically  distribute 
and  sell  the  crop,  offers  one  of  the  best  horti- 
cultural opportunities  in  North  Carolina. 

LETTUCE 

The  commercial  crop  of  lettuce  is  produced 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  Coastal  Plain  Section, 
and  amounts  to  approximately  700  cars  each 
year. 

For  the  area  planted,  and  the  time  the  land 
is  occupied,  lettuce  is  probably  the  most  profit- 
able crop  of  the  Coastal  Plain.  Owing  to  the 
mild  climate,  the  warm,  responsive  soil  and 
bright  winter  sunshine,  lettuce  is  successfully 
grown  during  the  fall,  winter  and  spring 
months. 

According  to  the  location,  climatic  conditions, 
and  season  of  the  year,  lettuce  growing  in 
North  Carolina  is  conducted  under  three  dif- 
ferent methods:  (1)  Steam-heated  and  irri- 
gated frames;  (2)  covered  frames  without 
artificial  heat  and  irrigation;  (3)  open  field 
culture.  The  open  field  culture  is  practiced  in 
the  warm  southeastern  part  of  the  State.  The 
frame  method  produces  earlier  lettuce,  and  this 
usually  finds  a  better  market  than  the  later 
crop.  Market  records  show  that  North  Caro- 
lina frame-grown  lettuce  commands  a  high 
place  in  the  best  markets.  The  spring  lettuce, 
which  is  the  most  important  of  the  lettuce 
crops,  matures  at  a  time  when  the  northern 
market  is  hungering  for  something  green ;  and 
if  good  lettuce  is  put  on  the  market  in  first- 
class  condition,  the  grower  can  rest  assured 
that  it  will  sell  to  advantage. 


Lettuce  being  a  rapid  growing  plant,  ma- 
turing in  from  70  to  90  days  from  the  time  of 
planting  and  growing  more  profitably  under  in- 
tensive culture,  lends  itself  well  to  a  rotation 
with  other  quick-growing  high-profit  crops, 
such  as  cucumbers,  eggplant,  and  cantaloupes. 
Since  the  methods  of  successful  lettuce  culture 
are  very  intensive,  they  are  necessarily  costly; 
but  the  profits  are  correspondingly  large,  a 
good  crop  usually  brings  $800  to  $1,500  per 
acre. 

CABBAGE 

Cabbage  is  grown  commercially  in  the 
Coastal  Plain  Section  as  an  early  truck  crop. 
The  cabbage  grown  in  the  trucking  regions  of 
the  Coastal  Plain  Section  is  the  early  cabbage 
produced  for  northern  markets.  In  this  sec- 
tion it  occupies  a  foremost  place  among  early 
truck  crops. 

The  light,  sandy  soil  and  the  mild  bright 
climate  are  especially  suited  to  the  production 
of  early  cabbage.  The  seed  of  early  varieties, 
such  as  Jersey  Wakefield  and  Charleston  Wake- 
field, are  sown  in  beds  at  intervals  from  the 
first  of  September  to  October.  The  plants  are 
transplanted  to  the  field  during  the  latter  part 
of  November  and  the  first  of  December.  The 
crop  is  harvested  and  shipped  to  market  during 
the  months  of  March  and  April.  Cabbage 
yields  heavily,  and  is  one  of  the  most  profitable 
truck  crops  for  Eastern  North  Carolina. 

WATERMELONS 

Watermelons  are  grown  in  all  parts  of  the 
State  for  home  consumption  and  local  markets. 
For  shipping  to  northern  markets  they  are  pro- 
duced in  the  warm,  light  soil  of  the  Coastal 
Plain  Section.  Melons  of  unsurpassed  size  and 
quality  are  produced  on  the  sandy  soils  in  the 
long-leaf  pine  section  of  the  State. 

Watermelon  production  for  shipping  to 
northern  markets  is  one  of  the  most  important 
trucking  industries  of  the  State.  For  the  com- 
mercial industry,  the  varieties  grown  are  the 
smooth,  firm  melons  that  ship  well. 

CANTALOUPES 

The  growing  of  cantaloupes  is  one  of  the 
most  important  horticultural  industries  in  the 
State.  Commercial  cantaloupe  production  is 
confined  to  much  the  same  territory  as  water- 
melons. Where  careful  attention  is  given  to 
producing  high-quality  melons  and  adequate 
marketing  facilities  are  provided,  cantaloupe 
growing  offers  splendid  opportunities. 

The  crop  is  planted  and  treated  very  much 
as  are  cucumbers.  Although  they  are  more 
often  grown  in  the  open,  cantaloupes  are  some- 
times grown  in  frames  after  lettuce.  Coming 
as  they  do,  they  fit  in  well  in  rotation  with  let- 
tuce in  frame  or  field  culture.  Lettuce  comes 
off  in  March  and  April  and  cantaloupes  occupy 
the  ground  until  July,  when  they  in  turn  vacate 
the  land  in  time  for  a  crop  of  cowpeas.  For 
shipping  to  northern  markets  only  the  small 


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Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


early  varieties,  such  as  the  Netted  Gem  or 
Rocky  Ford  are  grown,  as  these  are  more  in  de- 
mand and  will  pack  and  ship  better  than  the 
larger  varieties. 

CUCUMBERS 

The  cucumber,  giving  best  results  on  warm, 
quick  soils,  filled  with  sufficient  vegetable  mat- 
ter to  hold  a  good  supply  of  moisture,  naturally 
finds  an  important  place  among  the  truck  crops 
of  the  Coastal  Plain  Section  of  this  State. 

When  they  are  grown  early  they  are  profit- 
able; in  fact,  earliness  determines  to  a  great 
extent  the  degree  of  success  of  the  crop.  It 
will  usually  warrant  the  market  gardeners  to  go 
to  some  extra  trouble  and  expense  to  attain  this 
end.  The  plants  are  started  in  frames  and 
hotbeds,  but  as  they  are  transplanted  with  diffi- 
culty, it  is  better  to  start  them  in  pots  and 
transplant  to  the  field  when  all  danger  of  frost 
is  over.  They  are  grown  to  a  large  extent  in 
frames  after  lettuce,  in  which  case  they  come 
off  in  July  in  time  for  a  crop  of  cowpeas  or  some 
other  late-planted  crop. 

The  crop  can  be  shipped  north  until  the  price 
falls.  Early  cucumbers  often  bring  as  much 
as  $2  per  bushel  basket,  and  800  baskets  per 
acre  is  not  an  uncommon  yield. 

ENGLISH  PEAS 
The  early  crop  of  English  peas  is  a  very  im- 
portant one  to  the  truck  growers  in  certain  sec- 
tions of  Eastern  North  Carolina.  The  main 
crop  of  the  extra  earlies  is  sown  in  January  and 
goes  to  market  late  in  April  and  early  May. 
Single  growers  will  often  plant  one  hundred 
acres  in  peas.  They  are  a  cheaply  grown  crop 
and  are  soon  off  the  land.  The  vines  can  be 
turned  under  for  the  improvement  of  the  soil, 
and  the  land  at  once  made  available  for  some 
later  crop,  such  as  cucumbers  or  melons. 

ASPARAGUS 
Asparagus  could  be  made  an  important  crop 
for  the  truck  growers  of  the  Coastal  Plain  Sec- 
tion, where  the  warm,  mellow,  sandy  soil  pro- 
duces early  crops  of  excellent  quality.  Due  to 
its  earliness,  the  eastern  part  of  the  State  is 
preeminently  the  asparagus-growing  section  to 
supply  northern  markets.  As  local  markets 
are  often  meagerly  supplied  with  this  whole- 
some vegetable,  a  profitable  industry  could  be 
developed  in  many  parts  of  the  State  in  pro- 
ducing asparagus  for  home  markets. 

STRING  BEANS 
String  beans  are  grown  by  truckers  through- 
out the  State  with  the  crop  receiving  the  great- 
est attention  in  the  lower  part  of  the  Coastal 
Plain  Section.  Here  they  generally  pay  well 
when  early.  They  are  cheaply  grown,  need 
light  fertilization,  and  are  out  of  the  way  in 
early  summer  so  that  a  hay  crop  of  peas  can  be 
grown  on  the  same  land. 

SPINACH 
Spinach  is  grown  by  truckers  for  shipment 


during  winter  and  early  spring.  During  severe 
winters,  when  the  crop  is  killed  in  the  North, 
the  southern-grown  spinach  sells  to  an  ad- 
vantage. In  the  South  it  is  a  hardy  crop, 
cheaply  grown,  which  yields  heavily  and  occu- 
pies the  ground  only  during  the  cool  season. 

FRUIT  GROWING  IN  EASTERN  NORTH  CAROLINA 
While  practically  all  fruits  can  be  grown 
throughout  North  Carolina  the  production  of 
certain  fruit  crops  upon  a  commercial  scale  is 
restricted  to  Eastern  Carolina.  With  its  won- 
derful climate,  long  growing  season,  and  adapt- 
able soil,  Eastern  Carolina  is  especially  suited 
to  the  production  of  figs,  grapes,  pecans,  blue- 
berries, and  strawberries. 

STRAWBERRIES 

Strawberries  are  grown  generally  over  the 
entire  State  for  home  use  and  local  market,  but 
from  a  commercial  standpoint  the  production 
of  this  crop  has  become  developed  in  certain 
areas  of  the  Coastal  Plain  Section. 

The  main  point  to  be  considered  in  the  pro- 
duction of  this  fruit  for  commercial  purposes 
is  the  fact  that  the  strawberry  is  grown  com- 
mercially in  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  that 
each  section  from  Florida  to  Maine  has  its  own 
season  in  the  market.  Hence  to  make  the  crop 
profitable  for  shipment  to  northern  markets, 
the  berries  must  be  grown  where  the  climatic 
conditions  warrant  an  early  ripening  of  the 
fruit,  so  that  it  can  be  placed  on  the  market  be- 
fore localities  further  north  and  closer  to  the 
markets  come  in  with  their  berries.  For  this 
reason,  the  production  of  the  crop  commercially 
has  been  confined  to  the  lands  of  the  Coastal 
Plain  where  soil  and  climatic  conditions  com- 
bine to  make  this  business  very  profitable.  Dur- 
ing the  1922  season  there  were  over  1,000  car- 
loads of  berries  handled  from  the  main  shipping 
points  of  this  section. 

GRAPES 

North  Carolina  is  more  favored  as  regards 
its  opportunities  for  grape  growing  than  most 
other  states  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  the  wide 
range  of  grape  species  that  are  native  to  the 
State.  The  grape  in  North  Carolina  is  repre- 
sented by  two  different  general  types,  the  mus- 
cadines, which  are  native  of  the  Coastal  Plain 
region,  and  the  labruscas  or  "bunch  grapes." 

The  muscadine,  or  the  rotundifolia  type  of 
grapes,  of  which  the  Scuppernong  and  the 
James  are  the  most  important  varieties,  is 
native  to  the  sandy  soils  of  the  Coastal  Plain 
region.  The  Scuppernong,  a  white  variety  of 
the  muscadine  or  rotundifolia  type  is  found  as 
a  domestic  fruit  on  almost  every  plantation  in 
Eastern  Carolina.  Like  the  fig,  it  has  proved 
to  be  almost  an  ideal  home  fruit  for  the  South. 
It  will  permit  of  much  neglect  and  almost  un- 
failingly produce  an  abundant  crop  of  very 
excellent  fruit. 

The  muscadines  are  practically  free  from  the 
attacks  of  insects  and  diseases,   and  produce 


Thirty-Five 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


enormous  quantities  of  delicious  fruit  with  only 
the  most  indifferent  attention.  Owing  to  the 
fact  that  they  do  not  stand  shipment  well,  these 
grapes  are  almost  unknown  to  northern  people. 
Some  very  large  vineyards  of  the  Scuppernong 
variety  have  been  developed  in  the  State,  pri- 
marily for  wine  purposes,  but  are  now  produc- 
ing fruit  for  grape  juice,  jellies,  and  other 
products.  At  the  horticultural  branch  experi- 
ment station  located  at  Willard,  N.  C,  extensive 
experiments  with  muscadine  grapes  are  being 
conducted  by  the  State  Department  of  Agri- 
culture, and  the  N.  C.  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station  in  cooperation  with  the  Office  of  Horti- 
cultural and  Pomological  Investigations,  of  the 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  The  most 
promising  varieties  of  the  rotundifolia  species 
from  Virginia  to  Texas  have  been  collected  and 
are  being  tested.  Breeding  work  is  under  way 
to  develop  varieties  of  this  grape  that  will  be 
valuable  for  shipping  and  market  purposes. 
Utilization  investigations  have  established 
methods  of  preparation  for  a  number  of 
products  that  are  promising  for  commercial 
development. 

FIGS 

The  fig  is  a  fruit  that  should  be  more  widely 
grown,  especially  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
State.  There  are  fig  trees  in  many  eastern 
counties,  growing  luxuriantly  and  bearing  good 
crops  even  under  the  greatest  neglect.  The  hg 
is  one  of  the  finest  fruits  for  home  use  grown 
in  the  South.  It  is  delicious  and  wholesome 
when  eaten  fresh,  and  fig  preserves  are  the 
standard  of  excellence.  Fortunately,  the  fig  is 
not  seriously  affected  by  insects  and  disease, 
and  can  be  grown  without  the  constant  use  of 
the  spray  pump. 

Furthermore,  the  fig  can  be  made  one  of  the 
most  profitable  fruits  grown  in  the  upper 
South.     Fig  culture  is  really  in  its  infancy ;  and 


very  few  people  realize  the  possibilities  of  the 
industry.  Even  most  of  those  who  have  grown 
this  fruit  for  home  use  do  not  know  that  by 
selecting  the  proper  varieties  and  by  using 
proper  methods  figs  can  be  shipped  to  the  large 
distant  markets. 

PECANS 

The  thin-shelled  pecan  is  rapidly  coming  into 
prominence  in  the  Coastal  Plain  Section  as  an 
orchard  crop.  Orchards  of  budded  trees  of 
standard  varieties  are  being  planted  every  year, 
and  now  the  earlier  plantings  are  coming  into 
bearing.  Seedling  groves  have  been  top-work- 
ed to  standard  varieties  of  high  quality  with 
satisfactory  results. 

While  here  and  there  large  seedling  trees 
have  reached  tremendous  size  and  have  pro- 
duced large  crops,  it  has  only  been  recently  that 
the  value  of  the  thin-shelled,  standard  varieties 
of  high  quality  and  their  adaptability  to  the 
Coastal  Plain  region  has  been  definitely  estab- 
lished. As  a  result  of  investigations  and  dem- 
onstrations extending  over  a  period  of  fifteen 
years,  the  Division  of  Horticulture  of  the  N.  C. 
Department  of  Agriculture  has  definitely  de- 
termined the  advisability  of  planting  certain 
varieties  of  pecans  in  that  part  of  the  Coastal 
Plain  region  where  there  is  deep,  fertile  soil, 
and  where  the  drainage  is  good.  The  Schley, 
Stuart,  Ally  and  Success  varieties  have  been 
found  to  be  the  most  desirable  for  North  Caro- 
lina conditions. 

If  the  proper  attention  is  given  to  the  se- 
lection of  location,  soil,  planting  and  subse- 
quent care  of  the  orchard,  pecan  growing  offers 
one  of  the  most  lucrative  opportunities  in  agri- 
culture for  the  Coastal  Plain  Section  of  the 
State.  The  trees  come  info  commercial  bear- 
ing when  about  eight  years  of  age  and  produce 
abundantly.  There  is  a  large  local  demand  for 
the  nuts  at  good  prices. 


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Eastern    North     Carolina     E n cyclopedia 


PENDER   COUNTY 


Pender  County,  located  in  Southeastern 
North  Carolina,  having  fifteen  miles  of  un- 
developed seacoast,  offers  one  of  the  greatest 
opportunities  in  the  South  for  an  investment 
as  a  summer  resort,  fishing  for  sport  and  com- 
mercial purposes  good. 

Of  the  548,480  acres  comprising  the  county, 
only  30,000  acres  are  under  cultivation.  Game 
abounds  in  these  vast  areas  of  uncultivated 
land. 


Pender  County  Beauty 

This  county  is  well  situated  for  general  farm- 
ing, trucking,  dairying,  hog  and  poultry  raising. 

It  is  well  adapted  to  the  growing  of  all  staple 
crops  that  are  grown  in  this  section  of  the 
State,  such  as  corn,  cotton,  tobacco,  peanuts 
and  forage  crops. 

The  soils  are  of  a  great  variety,  ranging  from 
the  light  sandy  to  the  heavier  types  with  sandy 


loam  top  soil  underlain  with  clay. 

These  excellent  soils,  with  the  natural  cli- 
matic conditions,  plus  nearness  to  market,  and 
in  the  midst  of  a  Truck  Growers  Association, 
make  this  county  an  ideal  truck  growing  sec- 
tion. Recently  $1,000  to  $1,500  has  been  ob- 
tained from  one  acre  of  strawberries. 

The  principal  truck  crops  grown  are:  Let- 
tuce, strawberries,  string  beans,  Irish  potatoes, 
cucumbers  and  garden  crops. 

Interest  in  live  stock  and  dairying  is  rapidly 
growing. 

Various  denominations  have  established 
churches  here. 

Two  accredited  high  schools  are  now  in  op- 
eration. The  educational  program  contem- 
plates five  new  consolidated  high  schools  to 
reach  every  section  of  the  county. 

Three  State  Highways  traverse  the  county. 
Three  branches  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line  Rail- 
road afford  good  railroad  facilities.  An  am- 
bitious county  road  program  is  being  carried 
out. 

There  is  no  safer  investment  than  in  real 
estate.  Lands  in  Pender  County  can  be  bought 
at  prices  that  suit  you. 

For  further  information  secure  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment Agriculture  Advance  Sheets  1912  Soil 
Survey  of  Pender  County,  with  special  atten- 
tion to  pages  9,  10  and  21. 

Address  other  inquiries  to  C.  M.  James, 
County  Agent,  or  Miss  Georgia  Piland,  Home 
Agent,  Burgaw,  N.  C. 


SCENES    IN    PENDER    COUNTY 
(See  Next  Page) 
(Numbers  Reading  From  Top  to  Bottom) 

1 — Picking  Strawberries  in  April 

2 — Poultry  Farm 

3 — Hogs  in  Peanuts 

4 — Strawberry  Crate  Factory 

5 — Muscadine  Grapes 

6 — Return  From  Sport 

7 — Peanuts 

8 — Drainage  Ditch 

9 — Disking  With  Four  Mules 
10 — Modern  Home 
11 — Modern  Farming 
12 — Topsail  Sound  Oyster  Beds 
13 — Sport  on  the  Sound 

14 — Tri-State  Tobacco  Growers'  Co-operative  Ware- 
house 


Thirty-Seven 


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Eastern    North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


PITT   COUNTY 


LOCATION 
Pitt  County  is  located  in  the  central  part  of 
Eastern  North  Carolina.  The  center  of  the 
county  is  about  85  miles  east  of  Raleigh;  150 
miles  southwest  of  Norfolk,  Va. ;  150  miles 
south  of  Richmond,  Va.,  and  117  miles  north  of 
Wilmington.  The  distance  across  the  county 
east  and  west,  north  and  south,  is  from  30  to 
35  miles.     The  area  is  401,280  acres,  or  627 

square  miles. 

CLIMATE 

The  slope  of  the  county  is  to  the  east  and 
southeast.  The  highest  point  in  the  county  is 
121  feet  on  the  western  border  just  north  of 


a  healthier  place  than  Pitt  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  State.  Investigate  Pitt  and  then  you 
will  locate  in  Pitt. 

BANKING  FACILITIES 

The  county  of  Pitt  has  thirteen  banks  to 
serve  the  needs  of  the  various  sections.  Fig- 
ures given  below  cover  all  of  the  banks  of  the 
county,  and  show  the  remarkable  standing  of 
the  combined  financial  institutions : 

Capital,  Surplus  and  Undivided 

Profits $1,108,277.86 

Deposits 6,474,142.79 

Total   Resources 8,298,333.86 


Typical    Pitt   County    Production 


Fountain,  while  the  lowest  place  is  practically 
at  sea  level  at  the  confluence  of  Tranters  Creek 
and  Tar  River  on  the  east  edge  of  the  county. 
The  average  elevation  is  about  61  feet.  With 
an  unusually  large  number  of  open  days,  Pitt 
County  is  a  most  delightful  place  in  which  to 
live.  The  yearly  average  temperature  is  61 
degrees  and  yearly  average  precipitation  of 
49.52  inches. 

HEALTH 

Wonderful  strides  have  been  made  in  the 
prevention  of  disease  in  Pitt  County.  The  fact 
that  our  county  was  among  the  first  to  see  the 
need  of  a  health  officer,  and  to  employ  one,  is 
something  of  which  we  can  be  justly  proud.  It 
is  this  progressive,  far-seeing  spirit  of  our  peo- 
ple, which  makes  Pitt  a  good  place  in  which  to 
live.  We  have  been  successful  in  combating 
malaria.     Anyone  seeking  a  home  will  not  find 


POPULATION 


The  steady   increase   in   population  of   Pitt 
County  since  1850  is  shown  by  the  following 
table : 
Year  Population 

1850 13,397 

1860 16,080 

1870 17,276 

1880 21,794 

1890 25,519 

1900 30,889 

1910 36,340 

1920 45,569 

HIGHWAY   SYSTEM 

The  highway  system  of  Pitt  County  is  a  fit- 
ting tribute  to  the  progressive  citizenship,  and 
is  attracting  the  attention  of  large  distributors 
who  specialize  in  motor  transportation.  The 
system  embraces  ninety  and  five-tenths  miles 


Thirty -Nine 


Eastern     North     Carolina     E n cyclopedia 


of  hard  surface  roads,  which  will  soon  be  com- 
pleted, and  a  program  for  future  construction 
of  around  thirty  miles.  All  of  the  main  roads 
run  east  and  west  and  north  and  south,  and 
connect   with  various   adjoining  counties.     A 


Court    House,    Pitt    County 

program  for  intensive  maintenance  of  dirt 
roads  will  be  put  into  effect  at  an  early  date, 
which,  when  completed,  will  give  Pitt  County 
500  miles  of  improved  highways  passable  12 
months  in  the  year. 

SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES 

Pitt  County  is  taking  the  lead,  in  a  number 
of  ways,  in  her  educational  system  and  is  at- 
tracting the  attention  of  other  parts  of  the 
State.  Pitt  has  109  grammar  schools,  with  a 
total  enrollment  of  over  14,500;  11  high  schools 
with  a  total  enrollment  of  893.  The  rural  and 
city  schools  together  employ  325  teachers.  The 
school  census  of  the  county  is  17,000.  The 
county  has  six  modern  consolidated  schools, 
which  require  30  school  trucks  to  transport 
900  children  daily.  An  additional  high  school 
will  be  built  by  the  opening  of  1924-1925  term, 
which  will  make  available  high  school  instruct- 
ion in  every  township  in  the  county  except  two. 

The  East  Carolina  Teachers  College,  which 
is  located  at  Greenville,  the  county  seat,  is  now 
in  the  midst  of  an  expansion  program,  which 
calls  for  a  total  expenditure  of  $1,025,000.00. 
When  completed,  the  college  will  be  in  position 
to  care  for  between  700  and  800  students.  The 
East  Carolina  Teachers  College  is  the  only  in- 
stitution in  the  State  that  devotes  all  of  its 
resources  to  training  teachers. 


TRAIN  SERVICE 
Pitt  County  is  traversed  by  three  branch  lines 
of  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line,  the  main  line  of  the 
Norfolk  Southern,  East  Carolina  and  the  Shel- 
merdine  railways,  all  of  which  are  located  as  to 
serve  the  interests  of  the  county  in  a  splendid 
manner.  Eastern  cities  can  be  reached  within 
12  to  18  hours. 

WATER   TRANSPORTATION 

Pitt  County  is  almost  centrally  divided  by 
Tar  River,  which,  in  times  past,  was  the  only 
medium  of  transportation.  In  fact  the  county 
was  served  by  the  Old  Dominion  Steamship 
Company,  the  Clyde  Line  and  others.  Pitt  is  in 
the  center  of  the  most  wonderful  inland  water- 
way system  in  the  entire  United  States,  unless 
it  be  around  the  Great  Lakes.  It  is  the  consen- 
sus of  opinion  that  there  will  soon  be  inaugurat- 
ed a  movement  to  make  actual  our  present  po- 
tential river  transportation  possibilities. 

AGRICULTURE 
Pitt  County,  according  to  the  1919  census  and 
based  on  agricultural  and  live  stock  values,  took 
second  place  in  the  entire  State  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  was  excelled  only  by  Robeson.  Pitt, 
in  keeping  with  this  report,  was  also  given  the 


Paved    Highway,    Pitt    County 


thirty-fifth  place  in  a  selected  list  of  the  fifty 
best  counties  in  the  United  States.  The  value 
of  crops  for  Pitt  for  the  year  1919  was  $21,- 
486,117.00.  Tobacco  and  cotton  are  the  two 
main  money  crops,  with  a  normal  annual  cot- 
ton production  of  20,000  to  25,000  bales  and  a 


Forty 


Eastern    North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


normal  yearly  tobacco  production  of  30,000,000 
pounds. 

Soils,  climate,  open  days  and  precipitation 
are  so  favorable  to  Pitt  County  as  to  make  any 
line  of  farming  attractive.  Any  crop  that  will 
grow  anywhere,  unless  it  be  tropical  fruits,  can 
be  grown  in  Pitt  County.  Dairying,  trucking, 
and   poultry  are  the  three   fields   which  offer 


TAX  RATE 

The  assessed  valuation  for  Pitt  County,  real 
and  personal  property,  is  around  $52,000,- 
000.00,  with  a  tax  rate  of  $1.00  on  the  hundred. 
There  is  no  State  tax,  as  the  revenue  for  the 
State  is  provided  for  by  special  taxes — privi- 
lege and  franchise. 


Tobacco    Field,    Pitt    County 


sure  and  certain  rewards,  when  matched  by  ex- 
perience, intelligence  and  a  reasonable  capital. 

CHURCHES 
There  are  over  50  white  churches  in   Pitt 
County,  with  a  total  membership  of  over  10,000. 
There  are  also  a  large  number  of  churches  serv- 
ing the  colored  population. 


BUILDING    ACTIVITY 

An  intensive  building  program  has  been 
carried  on  for  the  past  year,  which  totals  ap- 
proximately $1,750,000.00. 

For  further  information,  farmers,  manufac- 
turers, distributors  and  others  are  invited  to 
write  or  come  for  personal  investigation. 


Pitt   County   Chamber   of   Commerce 

Greenville,    North    Carolina 


Forty-One 


Eastern    North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


S A MPSON    COUN T Y 

Large  in  Area  as  Well  as    in    Name  —  Healthful  Climate  —  Soil  Rich  and  Productive. 

Unlimited  Resources — Wonderful  Opportunities  for  Both  Labor 

and  Capital — Clinton,   the  County  Seat. 


AREA  AND  LOCATION 

Sampson  County  is  midway  between  Raleigh 
and  Wilmington  and  in  the  heart  of  the  best 
farming  and  trucking  sections  of  the  State.  The 
county  is  traversed  for  forty  miles  by  the  At- 
lantic and  Yadkin  Railroad  and  also  for  four- 
teen miles  by  the  Clinton-Warsaw  branch  of  the 
Atlantic  Coast  Line  Railroad. 

The  county  has  an  area  of  925  square  miles 
and  a  population  of  about  40,000,  and  is  the 
second  largest  county  in  the  State.  Clinton  is 
the  capital  of  the  county  and  has  a  population 


400  miles  of  improved  highways  penetrating 
each  of  its  seventeen  townships,  seventy-five 
per  cent  of  which  is  under  patrol  maintenance, 
so  that  each  community  is  in  easy  access  to  an 
improved  highway.  The  county  is  traversed 
from  north  to  south  by  State  Highway  Route 
No.  60  for  a  distance  of  54  miles,  and  from  east 
to  west  by  State  Highway  Route  No.  24  for  a 
distance  of  30  miles.  The  State  and  the  county 
have  together  spent  over  a  million  dollars  in 
improved  roads  and  bridges  in  the  county  in 
the  past  few  years. 


This   is   The   Way   it   is   Done   in   Sampson    County 


of  2,500.  It  has  seven  churches,  Baptist,  Pres- 
byterian, Methodist,  Episcopal,  Roman  Catho- 
lic, Universalist  and  Holiness. 

Besides  Clinton,  the  county  has  eight  in- 
corporated towns,  Roseboro,  Salemburg,  Autry- 
ville,  Parkersburg,  Garland,  Kerr,  Ivanhoe  and 
Turkey;  and  several  unincorporated  villages, 
Hayne,  Mints,  Tomahawk,  Ingold,  Moultonville, 
Newton  Grove,  and  Harrells  Store.  All  these 
villages,  as  well  as  the  rural  districts,  have 
creditable  schools  and  churches. 

IMPROVED  HIGHWAYS 
The  county  has  been  constructing  improved 
highways  for  sixteen  years  and  now  has  over 


PUBLIC   SCHOOLS  AND  CHRISTIAN   CHURCHES   IN 
EVERY  COMMUNITY 

There  is  a  Christian  church  and  a  good  public 
school  in  every  community  in  the  county. 
The  two  first  model  communities  in  the  South 
were  established  a  few  years  ago  at  Salemburg 
and  Ingold.  The  people  are  neighborly  and 
friendly  to  newcomers  in  their  midst. 

ADAPTED  TO  NUMEROUS  AGRICULTURAL  PRODUCTS 

Farming,  trucking  and  stock  raising  is  the 
principal  occupation  of  its  people.  Early 
trucking  in  sweet  corn,  beans,  peas,  peppers, 
lettuce,  cantaloupes,  cucumbers,  okra,  turnips, 


Forty-Two 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


Irish  potatoes,  cabbage  and  early  berries,  such 
as  strawberries,  dewberries  and  huckleberries, 
are  a  source  of  wonderful  revenue.  The 
principal  crops  are  corn,  cotton,  tobacco,  sweet 
potatoes,  oats,  wheat,  rye,  soja  beans  and  pea 
vine  hay.  Some  alfalfa  and  clover  are  also 
grown.  The  best  hog  exhibits  in  the  State  are 
to  be  found  in  this  county,  several  specimens 
at  our  last  County  Fair  weighing  over  1,000 
pounds.  Pure  bred  cattle  are  rapidly  increas- 
ing in  the  county. 

There  are  numerous  creeks  and  small  rivers 
coursing  through  the  county,  affording  an 
abundance  of  pasture  lands  and  fresh  water 
for  stock  and  cattle  farms.  The  forest  abounds 
in  timber  and  hard  wood  suitable  for  building 
material  and  all  kinds  of  wood  working  enter- 
prises. 


MOST   RAPID  DEVELOPMENT   IN   RECENT  YEARS 

More  improvements  have  been  made  in 
Sampson  County  in  the  past  decade  in  building 
better  homes,  adding  home  comforts,  in  added 
facilities  for  better  schools  and  churches,  in 
improved  farming  lands,  and  in  improved  fer- 
tility of  the  soil,  in  improved  stock,  hogs  and 
cattle,  in  better  highways  and  improved  health 
conditions,  and  in  every  way  that  tends  to  make 
farm  life  more  pleasant  and  profitable,  than  in 
many  other  counties  in  this  section  of  the  State. 

WHAT  OTHERS  THINK  OF  SAMPSON  COUNTY  AND 
THIS  SECTION  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA 
The  editor  of  the  Wilmington  Star,  the  larg- 
est daily  newspaper  east  of  Raleigh,  has  visited 
our  county  on  several  occasions  recently  and 
made  a  personal  inspection  of  our  lands  and 


- 

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Beans    And    Corn    Thrive    in    Sampson    County 


A   PROGRESSIVE   COUNTY   WITH   A   MODERATE 
TAX  RATE 

Our  county  boasts  of  economic  but  progress- 
ive county  government.  The  tax  rate  is  small- 
er than  in  many  other  less  progressive  counties. 
We  have  a  whole-time  Health  Officer  and  train- 
ed nurses.  Farm  demonstrator  and  superin- 
tendent of  the  domestic  science  work  in  the 
county.  A  whole-time  Welfare  Officer,  Public 
Clinics  for  operations  and  treatment  of  vene- 
real diseases,  a  county  farm  and  home  for  the 
poor,  aged  and  infirm  people,  incapable  to  pro- 
vide their  own  support.  Our  rural  population 
is  not  dense,  hence  our  farms  are  usually  large 
and  our  lands  are  cheap.  We  need  to  increase 
our  population,  subdivide  our  large  farms  and 
intensify  our  farming. 


the  products  of  our  farms  and  inventoried  our 
resources,  and  we  copy  below  from  a  leading 
editorial  of  Nov.  5th,  1923,  and  a  front  page 
display  write-up  of  Sampson  County  in  the 
issue  of  Nov.  8th,  1923,  and  a  second  page  dis- 
play article  on  Nov.  10th,  1923. 

READ  WHAT  EDITOR  CLAWSON  SAYS  OF 
SAMPSON  COUNTY 

"A  variety  of  products  which  no  other  region 
on  earth  could  assemble  at  any  time  of  the  year. 

"At  the  Sampson  County  Fair  at  Clinton 
every  branch  of  agricultural  and  live  stock  in- 
dustries will  be  seen  as  they  have  never  before 
been  assembled  east  of  Raleigh.  The  exhibi- 
tion of  products  is  large  and  of  great  variety, 
including  cotton,  tobacco,  peanuts,  corn  and 
every  product  of  the  temperate  zone.     Samp- 


Forty-Three 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


son  has  the  greatest  hog  display  ever  seen  in 
Eastern  North  Carolina  and  her  cattle  and 
dairy  farm  show  is  great. 

"In  the  exhibitions  of  farm  products  the 
Sampson  Fair  is  without  a  rival  north  of  the 
Cape  Fear. 

"The  agricultural  exposition  at  Clinton  last 
fall  eclipsed  anything  ever  seen  in  the  State. 

"If  200,000  people  could  see  it  they  would 
know  Eastern  North  Carolina  well  enough  to 
call  her  by  her  right  name.  Go  to  the  Sampson 
Fair  and  see  how  Sampson  County  will  present 
overwhelming  proof  of  the  agricultural  pre- 
miership of  North  Carolina." 

In  his  write-up  of  Sampson  County  on  Nov. 
8th,  1923,  speaking  of  her  exhibits,  he  says : 

"It  is  nothing  short  of  marvelous  as  a  dem- 
onstration of  the  magnificent  agricultural  re- 
sources of  the  Coastal  Plain  Section  of  North 
Carolina.  Each  department  is  a  show  within 
itself  and  each  housed  in  accordance  with  a  per- 
fect system  never  before  seen  at  a  county  fair 
in  the  South  Atlantic  country. 

"The  greatest  exposition  of  diversified  prod- 
ucts ever  put  under  one  roof  in  the  South. 

"It  is  more  than  a  county  fair  for  it  is  really 
an  exposition  of  the  matchless  productive 
adaptabilities  of  what  is  rapidly  developing 
into  absolutely  the  finest  agricultural  region  in 
America. 

"This  section  of  the  State  has  greater  possi- 
bilities than  any  other  like  area  between  the 
Atlantic  and  the  Pacific." 

OUR  FINANCIAL  CONDITION 

"The  bank  deposits  in  the  seven  banks  in  the 
county  have  doubled  since  1921. 

"The  county's  financial  system  is  strong  and 


rapidly  increasing  and  no  bankers  anywhere 
in  North  Carolina  are  more  progressive  or 
liberal  in  their  dealings  with  a  progressive  peo- 
ple who  are  performing  wonders  in  developing 
their  county's  wonderful  resources." 

HYDRO  ELECTRIC  POWER  FOR  INDUSTRIAL  USE 

The  county  is  supplied  with  numerous 
streams  that  will  develop  unlimited  water 
power  but  the  chief  source  for  power  and  light 
is  a  high  tension  transmission  electric  line  of 
the  Carolina  Power  and  Light  Company  tra- 
versing Sampson  County  to  Clinton,  the  county 
seat.  This  line  affords  unlimited  amount  of 
power  for  lights  and  all  manufacturing  pur- 
poses. 

A  WELCOME  TO  NEWCOMERS 

Our  people  will  welcome  newcomers  in  our 
midst.  Fertile  farms  can  be  purchased  cheap 
and  on  easy  terms.  Fine  pastures  and  cattle 
farms.  Domestic  grasses  flourish  and  green 
pastures  can  be  had  all  the  year  round.  Our 
winters  are  short  and  mild.  Fall  and  winter 
gardens  require  little  protection.  Three  or 
four  crops  are  often  grown  during  the  year  on 
the  same  lands. 

We  have  the  lands  and  the  climate  and  the 
natural  resources.  We  want  others  to  come 
and  share  these  advantages  with  us. 

We  need  cotton  factories,  canning  factories, 
oil  mills,  knitting  mills,  wood  working  factories, 
and  outside  capital  to  furnish  labor  to  our  peo- 
ple who  are  not  engaged  on  the  farms.  A  wel- 
come awaits  both  labor  and  capital.  If  you 
are  interested  and  want  more  information, 
address, 

The  Rotary  Club, 

Clinton,  N.  C. 


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Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


WAYNE    COUNTY 


With    Favorable    Climatic    Conditions   and  an  Unsurpassed 

System   of  Good   Roads,   It   is  One   of  the  State's 

Leading    Agricultural    Counties 


Wayne  County  is  one  of  North  Carolina's 
leading  agricultural  counties.  It  has  an  area 
of  554  square  miles,  or  354,560  acres  of  fertile 
soil,  producing  cotton,  tobacco,  corn,  wheat, 
potatoes,  vegetables  and  truck  of  every  variety. 
Wayne  County  is  also  noted  for  its  splendid  or- 
chards and  vineyards.  It  is  also  noted  for  its 
wonderful  pasture  lands,  making  live  stock  and 
poultry  raising  profitable. 

Wayne  County  produces  annually  30,000  to 
35,000  bales  of  cotton,  12,000,000  to  21,000,000 
pounds  of  tobacco,  tons  of  corn,  hay,  peas  and 
other  stock  food  and  an  abundance  of  other 
food  products. 

Wayne  County's  soil  is  especially  adapted  to 
the  growing  of  potatoes,  strawberries,  dewber- 
ries, asparagus,  onions,  lettuce,  cucumbers, 
watermelons  and  cantaloupes  and  it  ships  hun- 
dreds of  cars  of  these  commodities  annually  to 
the  northern  and  western  markets.  Our  varied 
soil  and  climatic  conditions  make  it  possible  to 
produce  and  harvest  one  or  more  food  products 
every  month  in  the  year.  The  season  never  be- 
comes so  cold  that  the  farmers  cannot  bring 
fresh  vegetables  to  the  markets  three  hundred 
and  sixty-five  days  of  the  year.  Wayne  County 
is  rapidly  developing  the  live  stock,  poultry  and 
•  dairy  industries.  No  section  of  the  United 
States  offers  a  better  inducement  to  the  above 
named  industries  than  does  Wayne  County. 

In  addition  to  the  above  advantages  Wayne 


County  offers  a  system  of  hard  surface  and 
sand  clay  roads  of  which  Goldsboro  is  the  hub, 
that  cannot  be  surpassed.  We  also  maintain 
over  one  hundred  public  schools  located  in  all 
sections  of  the  county.  These  are  in  addition 
to  the  incorporated  city  schools. 

We  would  like  to  furnish,  upon  request,  to 
any  inquirer  a  detailed  descriptive  book  of 
Wayne  County,  including  a  complete  govern- 
ment soil  map,  outlining  the  many  advantages 
which  space  will  not  permit  us  to  set  forth 
here.  Write  the  Goldsboro  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, Wayne  County,  Goldsboro,  North  Caro- 
lina. 

G  O  LDSBQ R  O 

Gate    City    of    Eastern     North 
Carolina    from    Entire   West 


Goldsboro  is  the  leading  manufacturing  city 
of  Eastern  North  Carolina  and  is  nationally 
known  for  its  rapid  progress  in  population  and 
wealth. 

Goldsboro  in  1900  had  a  population  of  4,000 
with  a  tax  valuation  of  $6,000,000. 

In  1910  it  had  a  population  of  6,500  with  a 
tax  valuation  of  $10,000,000. 

In  1920  it  had  a  population  of  12,000  with  a 
tax  valuation  of  $16,000,000. 

In  1923,  according  to  a  police  census,  Golds- 
boro had  a  population  of  14,500  people  with 


Forty-Five 


Eastern    North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


taxable  property  valued  at  approximately  $20,- 
000,000. 

Goldsboro  is  recognized  as  the  industrial 
city  of  the  eastern  section.  Its  principal  manu- 
factured products  are  brick,  veneer,  cotton 
yarn,  hosiery  and  lumber.  Goldsboro  has  four 
brick  manufacturing  plants  with  a  capacity  of 
70,000,000  brick  annually.  It  has  two  of  the 
largest  veneer  plants  in  the  South,  shipping 
from  150  to  250  solid  cars  weekly.  Its  varied 
manufactured  products  demonstrate  its  facili- 
ties for  industrial  development. 

Goldsboro  is  located  on  three  trunk  line 
railroads,  namely,  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line,  the 
Norfolk  and  Southern  and  the  Southern  Rail- 
way companies.  The  railroad  facilities  make 
it  possible  to  serve  eighty  per  cent  of  the  entire 
State  of  North  Carolina  over  a  one  line  haul. 
Another  splendid  advantage  that  Goldsboro 
offers  to  new  manufacturers  is  its  power.  It  is 
served  by  the  Carolina  Light  and  Power  Com- 
pany with  hydroelectric  power  and  its  present 
industries  are  a  fair  example  of  the  reasonable 
rates.  Ninety  per  cent  of  our  industrial  plants 
operate  with  hydroelectric  power. 

Goldsboro  is  the  county  seat  of  Wayne  Coun- 
ty, which  is  one  of  the  leading  agricultural 
counties  of  the  State.  Prospective  manufac- 
turers will  not  make  a  mistake  in  investigating 
the  possibilities  of  Goldsboro. 

Information  regarding  factory  sites,  taxes, 
insurance  rates,  power  rates  and  railroad  fa- 
cilities will  be  furnished  with  the  above  infor- 
mation in  detail  by  the  Goldsboro  Chamber  of 
Commerce  upon  request. 

Inducements  to  Home -Seekers 

Goldsboro  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  little  cities  in  Eastern  North  Caro- 


Forty-Six 


lina,  having  a  population  of  14,500  people 
whose  first  desire  is  to  make  their  city  a  good 
place  to  live  in  and  it  offers  the  following  ad- 
vantages : 

1  Fourteen  churches  for  whites,  represent- 
ing all  of  the  leading  denominations  and  under 
the  guidance  of  the  highest  type  men  and 
women  with  high  spiritual  ideals. 

2  Goldsboro  has  eleven  public  schools, 
maintained  entirely  by  the  city.  These  build- 
ings are  all  modern  and  equipped  with  the 
latest  devices  for  training  children.  These 
schools  maintain  a  faculty  of  seventy-five  in- 
structors, teaching  and  training  daily  3,300 
children. 

3  The  city  of  Goldsboro,  realizing  that  the 
child  needs  physical  training  as  well  as  mental 
training,  maintains  well  equipped  parks  and 
playgrounds,  physical  directors,  a  Boy  Scout 
instructor,  a  Girl  Scout  instructor,  and  a  Com- 
munity Service  building  equipped  with  a  gym- 
nasium, reading  room,  convention  hall,  auditor- 
ium and  all  other  features  required  of  a  build- 
ing of  this  kind.  This  community  building  was 
erected  and  is  maintained  for  the  sole  purpose 
of  developing  and  bringing  the  children  up  in 
a  way  to  become  useful  and  progressive  citi- 
zens. 

4  Goldsboro  maintains  a  Public  Health  and 
Sanitation  Bureau  with  a  corps  of  competent 
doctors  and  nurses  who  devote  their  time  to 
health  and  sanitary  conditions.  Goldsboro  has 
representative  posts  of  all  of  the  popular  fra- 
ternal organizations,  a  Rotary  and  a  Kiwanis 
Club,  and  a  well  organized  Womans'  Club  with 
over  four  hundred  active  workers  devoting 
their  time  to  civic  development ;  a  Chamber  of 
Commerce  composed  of  all  of  the  business  and 
industrial  man-power  of  the  city  devoting  their 


^ 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


entire  time  to  the  commercial,  industrial  and 
social  growth  of  Goldsboro. 

Goldsboro  is  the  home  of  the  State  Odd  Fel- 
lows Orphanage  with  one  hundred  and  fifty 
orphans  who  are  recognized  as  a  part  of  our 
city  and  are  given  the  same  consideration  by 
our  citizens. 

If  you  are  thinking  of  seeking  a  new  loca- 
tion, at  your  request  we  will  furnish  you  with 
detailed  information  regarding  all  of  the  above 


suggestions  including  climatic  conditions,  liv- 
ing conditions,  i.  e.,  apartments,  cottages,  fur- 
nished rooms,  etc. 

Goldsboro  is  located  in  the  trucking  and  ag- 
ricultural center  of  this  section  which  makes 
farm  produce  plentiful  at  reasonable  prices. 
Write  the  Goldsboro  Chamber  of  Commerce  for 
a  descriptive  and  illustrated  booklet  which  will 
give  you  in  detail  the  advantages  that  the  city 
has  to  offer. 


Goldsboro    Chamber    of    Commerce 

Goldsboro,    N.    C. 


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it  Tri 


Co-operative    Tobacco    Growers'    Warehouse,    Wayne    County 


!—-^_ ■—.■- _-■.        .._-^__^      ■       . 

b-^-a- m -■■->-    a  Kuvrai    y    '%ffimzm  sa  '%. 


Forty-Seven 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


Possibilities    in    Pork    Production 

By  W.  W.  SHAY,  In  Charge  Office  of  Swine  Investigation 


The  possibilities  of  profit  from  the  produc- 
tion in  North  Carolina  of  pork  of  a  high  quali- 
ty are  exceeded  by  those  of  no  other  state  of 
which  we  have  made  a  study.  Peculiar  circum- 
stances of  which  advantage  must  be  taken  in 
order  that  the  maximum  of  profit  from  busi- 
ness may  be  enjoyed,  make  this  so. 

There  is  a  very  pronounced  and  fairly  regular 
seasonal  trend  of  the  price  of  hogs.  This  trend 
is  caused  by  fluctuations  in  the  supply,  and 
supply  is  influenced  by  the  season  of  the  year. 
Owing  to  the  usual  severity  of  the  winters  in 
the  corn  belt  not  many  pigs  are  farrowed  at 
that  time  in  that  locality.  As  a  result  the  sup- 
ply of  finished  hogs  decreases  at  a  time  of  the 
year  corresponding  with  the  time  when  winter 
farrowed  pigs  are  or  should  be  ready  for  mar- 
ket, and  owing  to  this  decrease  in  the  supply 
the  price  trend  rises,  reaching  its  crest  for  the 
year  about  September  first  as  a  rule. 

A  study  of  the  average  price  of  hogs  for  a 
period  of  five  or  more  years  will  show  the 
truth  of  this.  The  average  difference  in  the 
Chicago  price  of  hogs  during  the  months  of 
December  and  September  taking  a  period  of 
twenty  years  was :  September  $9.35,  Decem- 
ber $8.00  or  $1.35  in  favor  of  early  marketing, 
therefore  the  proper  marketing  of  North  Caro- 
lina hogs  takes  into  consideration  this  seasonal 
advantage  over  the  corn  belt  hog. 

But  that  is  not  the  only  price  advantage  the 
North  Carolina  hog  of  good  quality  has  over 
the  corn  belt  hog.  Ninety-eight  per  cent  of 
the  hogs  received  at  Chicago  travel  east,  either 
on  foot  or  as  pork  products,  and  for  that  reason 
the  eastern  market  averages  from  75  cents  to 
$1.00  per  hundred  pounds  higher  than  the  Chi- 
cago market  for  similar  hogs.  Here  then  is  a 
combined  difference  in  price  of  over  $2.00  per 
one  hundred  pounds  in  favor  of  the  corn  fed 
North  Carolina  hog. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  average  yield  of 
corn  per  acre  in  North  Carolina  is  less  than 
25  bushels  while  the  average  per  acre  yield  for 
Iowa  is  over  40  bushels  there  is  a  belief 
that  corn  cannot  be  raised  as  cheaply  in  this 
State  as  it  can  in  Iowa,  and  that  is  true  when 
the  question  is  considered  from  a  state-wide 
standpoint,  but — on  land  of  similar  fertility  and 
adaptability  to  the  use  of  modern  machinery, 
and  there  are  thousands  of  acres  of  such  land 
in  North  Carolina,  owing  to  cheaper  labor,  less 
investment,  and  lower  taxes,  it  is  possible  to 
raise  a  bushel  of  corn  as  cheaply  in  North 
Carolina  as  it  can  be  raised  in  the  corn  belt. 

The  question  immediately  arises :  Why  then 
not  raise  more  corn  when  the  price  is  at  pres- 
ent $1.25  per  bushel?  While  it  is  true  that 
at  the  present  time,  in  many  counties  of  the 


State  the  price  of  corn  is  $1.25  per  bushel, 
there  are  other  counties  where  it  may  be  bought 
for  considerably  less  than  $1.00.  Again  it  is 
the  old  question  of  supply  and  demand — in  one 
county  there  is  a  shortage,  in  the  other  a  sur- 
plus— and  a  material  increase  in  the  amount  of 
corn  produced  in  the  county  where  the  price 
is  high  would  immediately  result  in  a  material 
drop  in  the  price,  and  owing  to  the  limited  de- 
mand it  would  be  difficult  to  dispose  of  the  crop. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  51  per  cent  of  all 
of  the  millions  of  hogs  arriving  at  seven  of  the 
largest  markets  of  the  United  States  travel 
east,  an  increase  in  the  number  of  hogs  raised 
in  North  Carolina  would  not  be  followed  by  a 
serious  price  break  providing  they  were  sold 
at  a  time  when  the  markets  are  not  flooded  ivith 
hogs  from  the  corn  belt. 

We  are  not  trying  to  prove  that  there  is  any 
profit  in  raising  hogs  on  land  that  will  not  yield 
over  fifteen  or  twenty  bushels  of  corn  per  acre 
— there  may  be  a  way  of  making  a  decent  living 
on  such  land — but  it  is  not  through  raising 
hogs.  The  raising  of  hogs,  however,  and  keep- 
ing on  the  farm  much  of  the  fertilizer  value  of 
such  crops  as  are  raised,  will  help  to  put  such 
a  farm  on  a  paying  basis. 

Why,  then,  is  not  the  production  of  corn  fed 
hogs  a  profitable  side  line  of  North  Carolina 
farming?  Consider  well  before  answering  for 
during  the  last  two  years  it  has  proven  very 
satisfactory  on  over  200  farms  where  demon- 
strations have  been  conducted  by  The  Exten- 
sion Service  and  the  results  arrived  at  through 
the  use  of  scales  in  weighing  over  3,000  hogs 
and  the  feed  eaten  by  them  in  twenty-two  coun- 
ties. 


12,612,808  ACRES  UNTILLED  LAND  IN  EASTERN 
CAROLINA 
The  1920  census  showed  that  there  are  in 
the  46  counties  covered  by  this  organization, 
12,612,808  acres  of  land  that  aren't  being  cul- 
tivated. There  are  3,180,732  acres  that  are 
being  cultivated,  which  represents  about  one 
fourth    of  the  total  area  under  cultivation. 

WONDERFUL  OPPORTUNITY  FOR  SOMEBODY 

The  total  value  of  the  crops  of  Eastern  Caro- 
lina will  reveal  what  a  wonderful  opportunity 
there  is  here  for  new  settlers.  The  total  pro- 
ductivity of  the  land  under  cultivation,  repre- 
sents only  a  small  portion  of  the  wealth  that 
is  really  here.  There  are  millions  of  acres  not 
producing  that  would  produce  in  the  same  pro- 
portion as  those  acres  that  are  producing. 
Thousands  of  acres  of  this  land  don't  even  need 
drainage.  They  are  ready  for  the  plow  and 
can  be  had  at  a  reasonable  price. 


Forty-Eight 


Eastern     North     Carolina     Encyclopedia 


OFFICERS 


President — Geo.  C.  Royall,  Goldsboro,  N.  C. 

First  Vice  President — H.  H.  Taylor,  President  The  National  Bank,  Kinston,  N.  C. 

Second  Vice  President — John  D.  Biggs,  President  Farmers  &  Merchnts  Bank,  Wil- 
liamston,  N.  C,  President  North  Carolina  Bankers  Association. 

Third  Vice  President — P.  L.  Clodfelter,  Cashier  Farmers  Bank,  Greenville,  N.  C. 

Treasurer — L.  J.  Mewborne,  President  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank,  Kinston,  N.  C. 

Secretary-Manager — N.  G.  Bartlett,  Kinston,  N.  C. 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE 

Geo.  C.  Royall,  Goldsboro. 

H.  H.  Taylor,  Kinston. 

C.  L.  Blount,  Cashier  Snow  Hill  Banking  &  Trust  Co.,  Snow  Hill,  N.  C. 

G.  A.  Barfoot,  President  Geo.  A.  Barfoot  &  Co.,  Real  Estate  and  Loans,  Wilson, 
N.  C. 

W.  H.  Austin,  Smithfield,  President  Austin-Stephenson  Co.,  President  L.  G.  Steven- 
son Co.,  Four  Oaks,  Vice  President  Ivanhoe  Manufacturing  Co.,  Director  First  Na- 
tional Bank,  Smithfield,  and  director  in  several  other  banks  in  North  Carolina. 

DIRECTORS 

Geo.  C.  Royall,  Goldsboro;  H.  M.  Cox,  Mount  Olive;  G.  A.  Barfoot  and  T.  B.  Ward, 
Wilson;  W.  H.  Austin  and  R.  P.  Holding,  Smithfield;  Dr.  C.  J.  Ellen,  Greenville; 
John  T.  Thorne,  Farmville;  Chas.  A.  Flynn  and  John  G.  Bragaw,  Jr.,  Washington; 
H.  H.  Taylor  and  T.  W.  Mewborne,  Kinston;  J.  A.  Harrell,  Wallace;  J.  K.  Powell, 
Warsaw;  H.  McKinnon  and  Geo.  Butler,  Clinton;  W.  H.  Hasty,  Maxton;  A.  W. 
McLean,  Lumberton;  Dwight  Barbour,  Clayton;  W.  A.  Hart,  Tarboro;  R.  P.  Davis, 
Rocky  Mount;  J.  K.  Warren  and  J.  T.  Lowery,  Trenton;  V.  D.  Strickland,  Ahoskie; 
B.  J.  Downey,  Nashville;  M.  F.  Morgan,  Bailey;  W.  R.  Harrell  and  Geo.  F.  Lucas, 
Burgaw;  Wilson  B.  Pugh,  Jackson;  J.  T.  Bolton,  Rich  Square;  L.  G.  Shell,  Rose- 
mary; J.  H.  Alexander,  Jr.,  Scotland  Neck;  John  R.  Taylor,  New  Bern;  J.  K.  Wes- 
kett,  Bayboro;  Geo.  L.  Grantham,  Fairmont;  Marshall  Williams,  Faison;  J.  B. 
Ayecock,  Fremont;  Jas.  B.  Long,  Morehead  City;  W.  B.  Cox,  Plymouth;  John  D. 
Biggs,  Williamston;  C.  L.  Blount  and  Dr.  J.  H.  Harper,  Snow  Hill;  Hugh  MacRae 
and  J.  A.  Taylor,  Wilmington;  Frances  D.  Winston  and  D.  R.  Britton,  Windsor. 


-=D 


^h 


Forty-nine 


Eastern  North  Carolina 

Where  Prosperity 
Is  Perennial 


PUBLISHED  BY 


The  Eastern  Carolina  Chamber  of  Commerce 


HEADQUARTERS 

KINSTON,   N.  C. 


imiimii 


THE    NATIONAL    PRESS.     INC.,     WILMINGTON.     N.      C 


00034027491 


I 


This  book  may  be  kept  out  one  month  unless  a  recall 
notice  is  sent  to  you.  It  must  be  brought  to  the  North 
Carolina  Collection  (in  Wilson  Library)  for  renewal. 


